Benjamin Harris, a 30-year-old man from Sussex, has received a two-year suspended sentence for explosives charges and a three-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, for cannabis possession.
The case has been reported by the BBC, and the Guardian.
The defendant was represented by Kieran Vaughan QC who argued that Harris came from “a family of hoarders”, had been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, and had “some psychological issues”. Mr Harris will not serve any immediate prison time after the judge ruled:
“To sentence you to immediate imprisonment bearing in mind your psychological background would be so detrimental to your situation as to make it unthinkable.”
Mr Harris was originally charged with terrorism offences, but these were dropped when the prosecution accepted that it would not be in the public interest to pursue a trial for terrorism.
Kieran Vaughan QC, defending, was instructed by Michael Phillips of Andrew Storch Solicitors.
Kieran is a member of the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team.
