Judge spares 'napalm bomb' man from prison - Update

A drunken man who tried to build a bomb to deal with young yobs who attacked his home is celebrating his release from prison. Nicholas Smith faced a life sentence under laws designed to combat terrorism after he was caught creating a napalm mixture as he plotted revenge on louts in Horden, County Durham. The 53-year-old grandfather was instead given a suspended jail term after a judge heard he had suffered from untreated depression, drank heavily to combat it and was plagued by neighbours.

Judge Tony Briggs described the sentence as exceptional and told Teesside Crown Court yesterday that anyone else in the same position would be jailed. Former Territorial Army volunteer Smith had downed 20 pints before he searched the internet for DIY bombmaking instructions following an egg attack on his terraced home on May 8. His wife Dorothy, 63, and daughter Amanda Jane, 20, who were in court to see him freed, told of their ordeal since his arrest.



His daughter said: “People called him the Horden Bomber, but he is nothing like that – he is just a harmless man. The only thing he is guilty of is trying to protect his family.” His wife said: “The last six months have been a nightmare. He has not coped well in prison. Other prisoners were putting daft things in his head that he was going to get 18 years. It is a massive relief that he is now out. He has lost so much weight as a result of all this.”

He was mixing bomb ingredients in a pan when police arrived at his home after a 999 call he had made. Judge Briggs told him the fact that he had spent six months behind bars on remand and had been able to start tackling his alcohol problem also saved him from immediate custody. Smith was given a six month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision.

Previously.