Kent man jailed over airbed explosive
A 28-year-old man has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of setting light to a homemade explosive.
Mark Lee Marchant, of Pimpernel Way, Chatham, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday.
He had denied causing an explosion likely to endanger life but was convicted following a trial.
The court was told he filled an airbed with an accelerant and then placed it on a fence and set it alight in Yarrow Road, Weedswood, in July 2009.
'Cause serious injury'
Kent Police said Marchant had made the device after a long running confrontation with a local shopkeeper in Weedswood.
Det Insp Ann Lisseman said: "Marchant's actions could have caused serious injury to anyone who may have been nearby at the time.
"He showed a clear intent on causing serious injury and we are fortunate the consequences were not more severe.
He added: "Marchant had been involved in a dispute with a local shopkeeper and this was a desperate attempt to cause harm and intimidate local residents.
"This sentence sends a clear message, that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated by Kent Police or the local community."