A man described as ‘dangerous’ and who caused an explosion in a makeshift bedroom lab at his Sharnbrook home has been jailed.
Matthew Haydon, 48, suffered life-changing injuries following a blast that shattered his bedroom windows in April last year. He was later found guilty of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, a charge he denied.
Read: Man found guilty at the Old Bailey for Sharnbook explosion
Police were only aware an explosion had occurred at the home Haydon shared with his mother in Loring Road, Sharnbrook on 10 April 2023 when they were Alerted to the incident by staff at the hospital where he was being treated.
At Hayden’s home, officers discovered a makeshift laboratory which was found to contain more than 150 volatile chemicals and materials consistent with producing explosive devices.
Roads were closed and neighbours evacuated to safe accommodation while the area was made safe.
Detectives also found a number of documents on Haydon’s laptops which referred to the production of explosives and IEDs and a review of his internet history found he had researched the ‘penalty for illegal possession of explosives’.
Videos recovered from his devices also showed him testing explosives and chemical reactions in public areas as well as inside his home.
‘Dangerous’
Haydon was arrested and charged with causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.
Read: Man charged following Sharnbrook explosion
During the trial at the Old Bailey in April earlier this year, witnesses described seeing him ‘shooting targets in his garden and burning things on top of his fridge freezer in the garden’.
Others reported seeing him in the woods dressed in a ‘military uniform with a shooter’s belt kit’.
At the same court where Haydon was convicted, the judge, Mr Justice Johnson, classed him as ‘dangerous’ as he sentenced Haydon to four years and six months imprisonment, with a further four years on licence.
Haydon will also be subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order indefinitely. The order will prevent him from creating explosive devices and acquiring or possessing chemicals used in the manufacturing of homemade explosives.
Detective Inspector Rich Stott of Bedfordshire Police’s Major Crime Unit said: “The explosion Haydon caused underscores the dangers of unlicensed handling of explosive materials.
“By his own admission, a residential bedroom is not the appropriate place for materials of this nature to be stored or experimented with. As such, Haydon has no one else to blame but himself.
“This was a dangerous obsession that quite easily could have taken his life and that of the people around him.
“The circumstances of this case serve as a stark reminder of the severe legal and physical consequences tied to such activities.”
