A “dangerous” man obsessed with explosives, who once asked to throw a grenade on BBC children’s show Jim’ll Fix It, has been jailed for causing an explosion at his family home.
Matthew Haydon suffered injuries to his chest and hands in the blast at the four-bedroom house in the Bedfordshire village of Sharnbrook on April 10 last year.
Afterwards Haydon, 48, told police of a longstanding interest in weaponry, citing his childhood request to the former BBC children’s show, which was presented by serial sexual abuser Jimmy Savile from 1975 to 1994.
He was jailed for four and a half years with a four-year extended licence period at the Old Bailey on Friday.
Haydon, who wore a waistcoat and shirt in the dock, was also made the subject of a criminal behaviour order, restricting him from creating explosives.
Sentencing him on Friday, Mr Justice Johnson described Haydon as “dangerous”.
“You have always had an obsession with explosives and explosions,” Mr Justice Johnson said.
“You synthesised high explosives which are extremely sensitive with extremely dangerous consequences.
“You knew the potential for these explosives to endanger life or property.
“In short, you are dangerous.”
An item taped to a tree which was later detonated by Matthew Haydon (Bedfordshire Police/PA)
Mr Justice Johnson told the court Haydon’s obsession with explosives and explosions has continued while he has been in prison, with notes and drawings of them found in his cell.
The judge said he considered it necessary to impose the extended sentence to “protect members of the public from serious harm”.
During the trial, the court heard Haydon said he had been “researching” explosives after being affected by what had happened at an Ariana Grande concert, in an apparent reference to the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.
He was found guilty by a majority of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property this April.
Previously, prosecutor Margia Mostafa said the defendant had lived with his mother at the family home of 45 years.
His mother, who had been away for the weekend, returned home on April 10 2023 and heard a loud bang from Haydon’s home laboratory, jurors heard.
Haydon was shouting “help me, help me”, having suffered burns and bleeding.
The court was told that Haydon’s mother put him in the shower to relieve the injuries and called 999.
His mother told the operator Haydon’s hands were “mangled”, the court heard.
Neighbours also heard a loud thudding boom, felt their house shake and saw that the defendant’s window had smashed, jurors were told.
After being treated in hospital, Haydon was interviewed by police and admitted causing the explosion, the court heard.
Matthew Haydon was found guilty of causing an explosion in his home (Bedfordshire Police/PA)
He said: “I don’t believe it was malicious. It was an accident. It wasn’t an intended detonation.”
He said he had always been “obsessed with all kinds of weaponry, explosives in particular”.
“I think I wrote off to Jim’ll Fix It to ask if I could throw a hand grenade,” he said.
He told officers he was “researching about explosives” because of “what happened at the Ariana Grande concert”.
He said it had affected him “quite badly”, adding: “It upset me, yeah.”
The defendant also told police he had issues related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Police searched his home laboratory and seized chemicals, equipment, electronic devices and handwritten notes, jurors heard.
On his laptop were instructions for explosives, and there was evidence that he had bought chemicals online, the court was told.
Jurors were shown footage of Haydon carrying out various experiments with explosives, which were found on a camera.
In one video, Haydon was heard commenting on a passing dog walker before detonating a device strapped to a tree.
A few days before the blast in his house, Haydon had messaged a contact about an incident in which his “life flashed in front” of him.
A damaged window after Matthew Haydon was found guilty of causing an explosion in his home (Bedfordshire Police/PA)
He wrote: “I was making a liquid expl & still developing best practice etc and put a wee tad too much sulphuric acid in to fast and it erupted to the ceiling in flames!!! …. Sum1 upder is looking after me man I swear!!! (sic)”
Samples of chemicals seized from the house were found to include sensitive high explosives triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD).
Damage to Haydon’s T‐shirt and an orange glove he had been wearing showed he had been in “close proximity” to the explosion, the court heard.
Chemical analysis of samples taken from the clothing indicated that HMTD was the explosive charge.
Haydon accepted he had mixed chemicals which caused an explosion, but disputed that the level of explosive used was sufficient to endanger life or property.
Giving evidence, he told jurors he had been “complacent” and should have worn protective clothing.
He said: “If you don’t give that substance the respect it is due it will turn around and bite you. And that’s what happened – I got complacent.”
Haydon, of Loring Road, Sharnbrook, showed no emotion as he was sentenced.
Detective Inspector Rich Stott of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit previously said: “Haydon had developed an obsession with explosives, and he was making his own highly sensitive explosive substances.
“These substances are inherently dangerous and are not produced commercially due to the risk they present.
“He had already had many near misses but continued to try to make the substances and to cause small explosions.
“Haydon was fully aware of the risk that a larger explosion could take place. Furthermore, this could have been so much worse, he was lucky to have not caused more harm to himself, his mother and neighbouring properties.
“I would like to thank all the emergency responders and specialist teams who deployed to deal with this incident and the investigation team who has worked so hard on this complex investigation.”