Man's homemade explosives led to street evacuation

A man has admitted 14 counts of making explosives at a property in Derbyshire over a period of a decade-and-a-half.

Police cordoned off streets and evacuated 35 homes after finding the items in a search of a house in Kingsley Avenue, Chesterfield, in July 2024.

Robert Spinks, 52, of HMP Leicester but formerly of Kingsley Avenue, was due to begin a four-day trial on Wednesday at Derby Crown Court.

But ahead of the proceedings, Spinks pleaded guilty to the 14 charges of making explosives dating as far back as January 2009.

These included making explosive devices, fuses, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine - also known as HMTD, which is an explosive organic chemical compound - black powder and flash powder "in circumstances which gave rise to a reasonable suspicion they were not for lawful object".

The court heard Spinks had been creating the explosives "for his own purpose" and they were "experimental".

Spinks's explosive materials were not owned to inflict injuries, the court heard, but he had been "reckless" about if they could have potentially caused injuries or damage to property.

The discovery of the materials led police to close a section of Kingsley Avenue between Church Street and Burns Road.

Three homes were initially evacuated before residents from a further 32 properties were told to leave.

A rest centre was established at Queen's Park Sports Centre for residents.

Spinks is due to be sentenced at Derby Crown Court this week.

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