Prisoner made hoax bomb calls

A prisoner caused "fear", "panic" and "disruption" at major airports and train stations with a spate of hoax bomb alerts, a court heard today.

Kelly Edney made 11 false threats from prison over a two-month period last year.
His actions caused disruption and major police deployments at Heathrow airport, Gatwick airport and Victoria station, the court heard.

Edney, 24, who is serving a seven-year sentence for rape, made the threats during phone calls to the Samaritans, the court heard.

Edney, who last month pleaded guilty to bomb hoaxes, was jailed for four years today at Southwark Crown Court.

Prosecutor George Papageorges said the calls began on February 28 last year when Edney was granted access to a phone to ring the Samaritans, who were supposed to help him with his suicidal tendencies.

Edney, who was a prisoner at Dartmoor jail at the time, told the Samaritans he was standing in Gatwick airport with semtex strapped to his body and was about to blow himself up, the court heard.

A number of similar calls followed with Edney threatening to detonate devices at Heathrow airport and Victoria station.

On each occasion Edney said he was pro-Muslim and wanted to protest against the policies of George Bush and Tony Blair.

His calls sparked major police deployments and evacuations, Mr Papageorges said.
"Police took all the threats seriously. A number of police and dogs were sent out.

"At the time they did not know if they were hoaxes or not."

Edney, who gives his address as Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight, was first convicted of communicating false information causing a bomb hoax in February 1992.

He also had previous convictions for arson, burglary, assault, traffic offences and was jailed for rape in March 1998.

Representing himself, Edney said he made the calls to get attention as a "cry for help".

"It wasn't malicious - I rang the Samaritans, not 999," he said.

"I didn't realise how serious it was at the time."

Sentencing Edney, Judge George Bathurst-Norman said: "You caused a huge amount of disruption, with police and fire services being called out.

"People probably didn't arrive at their destinations on time and they were a caused a huge amount of panic and fear."