Self-styled nerd guilty of making explosives in shed

A self-styled “nerdy” science geek has been found guilty of making explosives in his garden shed.

Neighbours spotted black plumes of smoke and heard loud bangs coming from 33-year-old Harry Whittaker’s makeshift laboratory in the garden of the home he shared with his mother, the Old Bailey was told.

Police uncovered his stash of explosives after Whittaker called 999 and called for medical help for a life-threatening allergic reaction last April 18.

Following an Old Bailey trial, Whittaker was found guilty of two charges of possession of explosive substances and two charges of making them on or before May 6 2024.

The jury, which deliberated for eight hours and 53 minutes, cleared the defendant of two further charges of possessing explosives.

Judge Simon Mayo KC remanded Whittaker into custody and adjourned sentencing until January 9.

Following his conviction, Paul Goddard, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Whittaker’s thoughtless actions put not only his own safety at risk – but that of his family and neighbours, too.

“He recklessly purchased highly dangerous materials with no thought to the consequences and we are pleased to secure this conviction today.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their local community, and we hope his conviction sends a strong message to anyone considering buying these dangerous substances that law enforcement agencies will come down on perpetrators with the full force of the law.”

The court had heard how paramedics had gone to the defendant’s home after being alerted to a possible anaphylactic shock.

Whittaker told them that he had been conducting experiments with chemicals in his laboratory and showed them his shed.

He said a window had broken on the shed after an experiment resulted in an explosion, the court was told.

The medics relayed their concerns to the police, who came to search the address in the Bedfordshire village of Caddington, near Luton on May 6 2024.

Prosecutor Emily Dummett listed the range of explosive substances found in Whittaker’s bedroom and shed.

They included: black powder; blank and a round of live ammunition; chemicals; lethal poisons; and suspected improvised explosive devices.

Police also uncovered radioactive materials and white phosphorus, a substance which can spontaneously ignite in air and is so dangerous that it had to be destroyed by controlled explosion by the military, the court was told.

Following his arrest, police uncovered a stream of racist chat on WhatsApp in which Whittaker directed hate towards a mosque in Luton.

In one message, he wrote: “We need a tank covered in machine guns and flame throwers, drive it into that mosque on Friday afternoon and turn them into mincemeat.”

He also complained about the Government banning “anything remotely right wing while still allowing actual terrorists to operate freely”.

When he was detained by police, Whittaker was found in possession of a wrap of heroin, the court was told.

In police interviews, Whittaker said he used his lab for “experiments” and was trying to collect every element of the periodic table.

He told officers that he “liked to have fun with pyrotechnics” and was “astounded to be arrested for having an educational interest in science”.

He said: “I take precautions so it doesn’t harm anyone.

“I don’t make things dangerous. It’s all just harmless fun, essentially.

“I’m just a nerdy kid who likes doing science”.

Asked if he was ever reckless in his experiments he replied: “No, definitely not”.

He said that he marked bottles with a skull and crossbones because it looked cool.

He denied that he had caused an explosion in his shed, saying the paramedics’ report was “horse shit”.

The defendant, who has autism spectrum disorder, also told police that he used heroin in the evenings but it did not affect him.

Giving evidence in his trial, Whittaker denied having any previous convictions relating to his chemistry experiments or any racially aggravated public order offences.

Under cross-examination, he accepted that he did have one previous conviction for causing actual bodily harm which he admitted at Luton Crown Court in 2020.

The charge related to an incident in 2019 in which his mother and a neighbour had tried to stop him from reversing out of his driveway while he was suffering the effects of drug withdrawal.

Whittaker said he had inherited mercury and a live bullet from his grandfather’s home and had bought some chemicals online.

He said he was given a bucket of potassium cyanide by an “old guy” he met while working at an engineering firm.

Whittaker had admitted a charge under the Poisons Act and having ammunition without a licence.

It can now be reported that Whittaker had been on bail ahead of his trial but that was revoked after he failed to attend court and was found in a distressed state on two London bridges.