A self-styled “nerdy” science geek has been found guilty of making explosives in his garden shed.
Neighbours witnessed plumes of smoke and heard loud bangs coming from Harry Whittaker’s makeshift laboratory in the garden of the home he shared with his mother, the Old Bailey was told.
Whittaker’s stash of explosives was uncovered by police after the 33-year-old dialled 999 asking for medical help for a life-threatening allergic reaction last April at the address in the Bedfordshire village of Caddington, near Luton.
Whittaker has now been convicted of two charges of possession of explosive substances and two charges of making them on or before 6 May last year.
At his trial, the jury, which deliberated for eight hours and 53 minutes, cleared the defendant of two further charges of possessing explosives.
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.”
The court had heard how paramedics went to the defendant’s home after they were alerted to a possible anaphylactic shock.
Whittaker told them he had been carrying out experiments with chemicals in his laboratory and took them to his shed.
He said a window had broken on the shed after an explosion from one of his experiments, the court was told.
The medics reported their concerns to the police, who searched the Caddington address on 6 May 2024.
What was discovered?
Prosecutor Emily Dummett outlined the explosive substances found in Whittaker’s bedroom and shed, which included: black powder; blank and a round of live ammunition; chemicals; lethal poisons; and suspected improvised explosive devices.
Police also found 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.
After his arrest, police uncovered a stream of racist chat on WhatsApp in which Whittaker vented hate towards a Luton mosque.
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‘I’m just a nerdy kid’
Whittaker was found in possession of a wrap of heroin when he was detained by police, the court was told.
In police interviews, Whittaker told officers: “I’m just a nerdy kid who likes doing science”.
He said he marked bottles with a skull and crossbones because it looked cool.
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 attempted to stop him from reversing out of his driveway while he was experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms.
Whittaker had admitted a charge under the Poisons Act and having ammunition without a licence.
Judge Simon Mayo KC remanded Whittaker into custody and adjourned sentencing until 9 January.
