Selkirk bombers behind bars

David Knox 1607 - 1607 • Published 6 Apr 2009 12:25 0 Comments

SELKIRK teenagers who attempted to detonate a homemade nail bomb on a popular pathway will be sentenced next month.

Gary Stewart, 17, and Paul Ndoro, 18, taped a gas canister and an aerosol can to a glass jar filled with screws, nails and disposable lighters.

And they lit the device at a riverside walkway before running for cover.

The Border Telegraph revealed in December how a dangerous device had been discovered near the town"s Bannerfield estate.

The pair were caught after a fire officer examined the incendiary and a full scale investigation was launched.

Police raided the home they shared just days after we published our appeal for witnesses.

And the detectives found components similar to the ones used to construct the explosive.

Finger prints found on electric tape used to hold the make-shift weapon together matched Stewart and Ndoro.

Last week at Edinburgh Sheriff Court the two youngsters admitted the offence under the Explosive Substances Act.

Fiscal depute Alasdair Macleod told the court how the device was found on a dog walking track in Selkirk on December 16.

He said: 'He observed an item in the middle of the road emitting flames and smoke. He saw two males, who later turned out to be the two accused, walking away from the item and continually looking back.'

Nobody was hurt by the bomb which failed to go off and experts described their attempt to build an explosive as 'crude'.

Mr MacLeod added: 'The report said the cans can be made to rupture causing explosion if heated sufficiently. They say a small fire-ball effect could be created.

'The nails, screws and other objects may have been added to increase the shrapnel effect of the device."

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre deferred sentence until later this month for the preparation of background reports. Both men were held in custody.

editorial@bordertelegraph.com

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This article appeared in Border Telegraph 07 Apr 09

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