Ulez bomber should not have been jailed for 15 years for blowing up one of Sadiq Khan's cameras, says friend

A retired electrical engineer jailed for 15 years for blowing up a ULEZ camera is the victim of a 'politically motivated' two-tier justice system, his friend has claimed.Kevin Rees, 63, an anti-ULEZ activist who also said he opposed London mayor Sadiq Khan, used a homemade bomb to destroy a camera in south London in December 2023.He was convicted of causing an explosion with intent to endanger life following a trial but received a 15-year prison sentence after the judge at the Old Bailey determined the offence had a 'terrorism connection'. Rees's long-term friend, Paul Jenner, 57, described the punishment, which also includes an extra year on licence, as 'outrageous'. 'This is an injustice, it is just so wrong,' the businessman from Sidcup, south-east London, told the Daily Mail.'It is two-tier policing and a two-tier justice system. Anyone with half a brain will see that this is not a political ideological terrorist act, it's an anti-ULEZ act. 'Was it stupid? Yes. Was it wrong? Yes. But how is it that you can rape a child or stab someone in the face and get more or less the same time in jail.' Kevin Rees, 63, a retired engineer with a knowledge of electronics, was jailed for 15 years for blowing up a Ulez camera A bright flash of white light is emitted as the 'low-sophistication' device explodes in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup A smashed windscreen is pictured on a car nearby to where the improvised explosive device was detonated'Ashley Malcolm who killed a pensioner also got a similar sentence this week,' he added. Rees's explosion, which caused sparks to rain down and sent shrapnel flying for more than 100m, damaging a child's bedroom window, was caught on CCTV footage. Police said it was 'miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured'.The trial was told Rees had set up an online group celebrating destruction of the controversial cameras and called himself The Exterminator on Facebook Messenger.He agreed with prosecutor Simon Denison KC that, at the time of the incident, he 'strongly opposed' the ULEZ (ultra-low emission zone) scheme – and Sir Sadiq. Mr Jenner, who grew up just down the road from Rees and has known him for 50 years, continued: 'Kevin is not a terrorist, he is a nice bloke. 'He's as silly as anything but he has been fitted up.'The jurors at the trial were never told that he would be sentenced as a terrorist, which has now made the sentence go up. 'The exact same happened with the Filton Four. They sentence you as a terrorist because it is a political movement.' He added that Rees had been suffering from functional neurological disorder, and that he was an 'extremely ill man'.Mr Jenner raised concerns about how his friend would cope in prison for such a long period of time. A child's playhouse was also damaged in the explosion Stun guns were found in Rees' home when it was searched by policeYesterday the Metropolitan Police said the judge ruled the incident had a 'terrorism connection', which led to a tougher sentence. It also means Rees will face strict controls upon his release from prison.Detective Chief Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in the Bexley area, said: 'It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the large explosion caused by Rees.'He showed a complete disregard for the welfare and safety of the people who live in, or were travelling through, the area at the time of the explosion – all because he was unhappy with the Ulez scheme.'CCTV from a bus travelling down the road at the time shows how it narrowly missed the blast of debris by seconds.'The ULEZ scheme, which requires drivers to pay a daily charge based on how polluting the emissions from their vehicle are, faced local opposition after it was expanded to cover all of London in 2023.Cameras are used by Transport for London (TfL) to monitor the cars that enter and exit the zone, triggering fines for motorists who have not paid the daily charge.A jury heard the investigation team identified that Rees had travelled in his Smart car from his home in Sidcup to Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm on December 6, 2023.The ULEZ camera was installed earlier that day, but in an unrelated incident had been cut down by another individual, who was also identified and convicted.Rees walked the short distance from his car to the camera and then planted the device and lit a fuse, police said. He was then seen by a witness walking quickly away from the scene. The window of a child's bedroom was also damaged in the blastRees was identified and was arrested on December 18, 2023 and his home was searched.Detectives also analysed Rees's social media activity and found he had posted numerous times about ULEZ cameras and encouraged the damaging of them, the Met said.Three homemade stun guns were found at his address.On Friday, Rees was given a three-year sentence, to run concurrently, after he admitted three counts of having a prohibited weapon.During the trial, the defendant denied all involvement in the incident, telling jurors he believed his arrest was linked to his participation in 'anti-Ulez' groups on Facebook.When he was arrested by counter-terror police on December 18, Rees made reference to that explosion and asked officers if his arrest had 'something to do with the anti-Ulez sites'.'There was only one explosion that was on the news and that was the one in Sidcup,' he told the trial, before adding: 'I assumed it was just the so-called Facebook police.'People you hear being arrested for making bad or inappropriate comments on Facebook pages – that's well-known, as it's been on the news.'The thing is, I didn't actually do anything wrong.'Rees told jurors he joined 'anti-Ulez' Facebook groups and pages out of 'boredom' and because it provided him with a sense of community.Bethan David, former head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter-terrorism division, said: 'This was not an act of protest or momentary vandalism.'This was a deliberate and dangerous attack involving a homemade explosive device, carried out in a residential street and designed to destroy public infrastructure.'Kevin Rees knowingly and intentionally placed an explosive device next to the Ulez camera, lit the fuse and retreated before the explosion, showing clear planning and an obvious disregard for the safety of others.'Whatever his views on the Ulez scheme, Kevin Rees crossed a serious line by constructing a homemade bomb and detonating it in a public place.'It was pure chance that no-one suffered serious injury, or worse.'The Crown Prosecution Service will always seek to prosecute dangerous offending of this nature and hopefully this conviction sends a clear message to other protesters considering taking the law into their own hands.'Rees, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday by Judge Anthony Bate.Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, said: 'This was a reckless and highly dangerous act that could have caused serious harm and resulted in the loss of life. We welcome this sentencing and hope it acts as a warning to others.'Tampering with or damaging TfL's property is unacceptable and seriously risks the safety of the public. Those attempting to interfere with Ulez infrastructure show a complete disregard for the law.'All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible. Any such incident on our network is reported to the police and will not stop the Ulez operating.'The Daily Mail contacted the Met Police, the CPS and Judicial Office for comment.