A man who was caught with three improvised explosive devices under the driver's seat of his car when police stopped the vehicle in Glasgow's east end was today jailed for 40 months. James Curran claimed that he had drawn inspiration from a character in an apocalyptic novel when he made the IEDs using fireworks, nails and ball bearings.
A judge told Curran, 58, at the High Court in Edinburgh: "You maintain you had no intention of exploding them or harming any person." But Lord Doherty added that even on the basis that his motivation was experimentation it remained a serious offence.
The judge said there was a need to deter others from making or possessing such devices. He told Curran, formerly of Bellrock Street, Glasgow, that he would have faced a five year jail sentence and a further two years under supervision if he had not pled guilty.
Curran earlier admitted breaching the 1883 Explosives Substances Act between November 2020 and August 2021 by making or knowingly having possession of the three IEDs. The court heard that on August 24 in 2021 police officers, acting on intelligence, were on the lookout for Curran's Vauxhall Zafira when they spotted it and stopped it in Loretto Street, Glasgow.
Curran was alone in the vehicle and when it was searched they found a carrier bag containing fireworks and the three devices under the driver's seat. Each of the devices was wrapped in black tape and had ball bearings and nails attached to a banger style firework.
The police officers retreated and set up a 10 metre cordon and the Royal Navy bomb disposal team was contacted. After they were shown images of the items they instructed that a 100 metre exclusion zone should be set up given the potential danger. While this was taking place Curran told officers that the devices "would not harm anyone".
He was arrested and told police: "I was asked by a friend to make them for last Guy Fawkes but they were never collected."
Bomb disposal specialists arrived at the scene and x-rayed the IEDs and found they were adapted fireworks which were packed with nails and metal ball bearings. They split them into explosive and non-explosive parts to make them safe and they were sent to the UK explosives laboratory in England.
Forensic scientists at the laboratory confirmed that they were potentially viable IEDs which could cause injury to people or damage to property. Defence counsel John Scullion KC told the court: "The accused got the idea for making the devices from a character in the novel he was reading. The novel was about the apocalypse."
"The devices were removed from his garden shed to his car. His intention at the time was to dispose of the devices. That never happened," he said.
"At the time of his arrest he told police officers the devices would not harm anyone. Notwithstanding the obvious danger, it was never his intention that the devices would be used to cause harm," said Mr Scullion.
The defence counsel said searches were carried out at the first offender's home and two garden sheds. He said: "Nothing was found to suggest any interest in terrorism or organised crime."
Mr Scullion said Curran had a history of "honest employment" for most of his adult life but that ended because of ill health. He added: "He has been assessed as a minimum risk of re-offending."
The defence counsel: "I acknowledge the serious nature of the offence. The need for punishment and deterrence means that custody is inevitable in this case."
Lord Doherty also imposed a 12 month supervised release order on Curran, who watched the sentencing proceedings via a TV link to prison, and told him if he breached it he could be brought back to court and returned to prison.
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