A member of the UK Pyrotechnics Society was found with a huge quantity of an illegal chemical used in explosives.
Thomas Sleight, 65, was caught storing 800kg of barium nitrate at a farm in Kirton Lindsey, North Lincolnshire, where he sold some of it to people in the UK and Europe.
The maximum amount that can be legally stored is 5 kg.
According to the court, the land owner did not know what was kept in the fence on the plot.
Investigators ruled out a possible terrorist connection to Sleight’s criminal activities.
Sleight, of Johnson’s Lane, Crowle, admitted three offenses of supplying a controlled substance to someone without checking who they were between 2015 and 2020.
He was given a suspended 12-month prison sentence at Grimsby Crown Court under the Poisoning Act 1972.
Prosecutor Michael Masson told how another substance he sold without checking the buyer’s license was potassium perchlorate.
Thomas Sleight, 65, was given a 12-month suspended sentence at Grimsby Crown Court (pictured) for storing 800kg of barium nitrate at a farm in Kirton Lindsey, North Lincolnshire.
Both are used in making fireworks. But they are regulated because of their possible use in making explosives.
Masson said the criminal activities of the specialist chemical supplier came to light during an investigation in Aberdeen, where the man was charged with terrorism-related offenses for possession of explosives.
He was later admitted to the High Court in Edinburgh. A Scottish police investigation revealed that Sleight was the supplier of the chemicals.
His home was raided on August 11, 2020 and a large amount of papers and some equipment were seized and examined.
Sleight volunteered to police that he was storing barium nitrate in a lockup at Kirton Lindsey. He said he bought it in bulk from a supplier because he was interested in pyrotechnics.
Mr Masson said that due to the volatility and large quantity of barium nitrate, a special operation was required to remove it.
He said the maximum allowed storage is 5 kg and can be used only by authorized persons. Sleight’s license had been revoked, even though he had been selling the chemical legally for about a decade.
The prosecutor said the chemicals are regulated and only licensees can handle them because they can mix with other chemicals to form explosives.
Mr Masson said: “Possession alone could be considered a terrorist offence. But investigators were convinced there was no malicious intent and it was intended to be used in fireworks because he was interested in pyrotechnics.
He said the chemicals were used in fireworks and flares, as well as in the manufacture of ceramics.
Michael Masson, prosecuting, said the chemicals were used in fireworks and flares, as well as in the manufacture of pottery (pictured with fireworks seen from Midsummer Common, Cambridge)
“It can be used to make explosives when mixed with other chemicals. The regulations are there for a good reason and he had no knowledge of what they were going to be used for or who they were being sold to,” Masson said.
Harry Bradford, for Sleight, said his client was remorseful for the offenses and had voluntarily provided information to police.
“He took his interest in fireworks very seriously,” she said.
Judge Richard Woolfall said the defendant had failed to check that the buyers of his chemicals were “fit and proper people” and disguised the nature of the chemicals in the packaging.
He said he had not kept proper records of who it was delivered to.
“You are motivated financially and not for political or other reasons,” the judge said.
He added: “You are a member of the UK Pyrotechnics Society. This is where your business came from, nothing malicious.”
He sentenced Slight to 46 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.
He ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £300.