Police and emergency services in Buxton after a report of a suspicious device that was found outside a property in the village. Picture: Simon Finlay

Man admits his part in incident that caused Norfolk explosives alert

Christine Cunningham Saturday, December 15, 2012
8:24 PM

A 49 year-old man pleaded guilty to his involvement in placing a device under a car in a Norfolk village, which led to six nearby homes having to be evacuated.

Jonathan Taylor, of Southwell Road, Norwich, has admitted doing an act with intent to cause an explosion likely to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon, a stun gun, when he appeared at Norwich Crown Court, yesterday.

His case was adjourned for reports and he is due to be sentenced early in the new year.

The device, which was placed under a car in Coltishall Road, Buxton, on September 2, meant that six nearby properties had to be evacuated while army bomb disposal officers dealt with the device. A 100-metre cordon was put in place around the vehicle, and people evacuated were taken to Buxton Village Hall for safety.

Tea and coffee was made available to those who had to wait at the village hall.

At the time of the discovery, villagers spoke of their shock about the device being found in what is normally a quiet village. One villager, who did not want to be named, said: “I was not scared but we always say it is a quiet village. It was a bit of a shock.”

Police also said at the time that they were treating it as an isolated incident targeted at a particular individual and said there was no indication the wider public were in any danger.