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Denbigh ex-mayor John Larsen guilty in 'bomb' case Denbigh ex-mayor John Larsen guilty in bomb explosion case
(35 minutes later)
A former Denbigh mayor has been found guilty of blowing up a car and causing other explosions in the town. A former mayor has been found guilty of a series of explosions in a town which a neighbour described as sounding like a "battlefield".
John Larsen, 46, was found guilty of three counts of arson, one of causing an explosion likely to endanger life and another of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life. John Larsen, 46, got a "thrill" from his actions, which had the potential to kill, Caernarfon Crown Court was told.
The series of explosions were carried out in the Lenten Pool area between January and April 2013. The explosions happened in the Lenten Pool area from January to April.
Caernarfon Crown Court was told Larsen got a "thrill" from his actions. In the most serious incident, he blew up a Land Rover, showered ball-bearings and shrapnel over a large area.
Larsen, a Liberal Democrat town councillor, is expected to be sentenced on Thursday afternoon. Larsen was found guilty of three counts of arson, one of causing an explosion likely to endanger life and another of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life.
Judge Merfyn Hughes QC said it was "a very unusual case and these are very serious offences". Judge Merfyn Hughes QC warned the Liberal Democrat town councillor that he faced a lengthy sentence.
He added: "The sentence I will have to pass is going to be a long one." He said it was "a very unusual case and these are very serious offences".
The trial heard Lenten Pool was plagued by the sound of loud bangs when Larsen caused the explosions. Larsen, who was mayor of Denbigh in 1999, is expected to be sentenced on Thursday afternoon.
The incidents took place two or three times a week, culminating in a main attack on a Land Rover in March. The trial heard Lenten Pool was plagued by the sound of loud bangs, with incidents taking place two or three times a week culminating in a main attack on a Land Rover in March.
Larsen, who was mayor of Denbigh in 1999, got a "thrill from what he was doing and the attention it was generating", the court heard.
Resident Shirley Clarke told the trial: "People often said they were fireworks - they were not fireworks.
"They were humongous. They were more than fireworks, it was like a bomb."
Larsen was arrested by police at his nearby home on 19 April.Larsen was arrested by police at his nearby home on 19 April.
North Wales Police found a manual on pyrotechnics in his house, a computer file named "gunpowder mix", modified fireworks and rockets, and ball-bearings.North Wales Police found a manual on pyrotechnics in his house, a computer file named "gunpowder mix", modified fireworks and rockets, and ball-bearings.
He told officers he had a legitimate interest in fireworks and had bought some materials online.He told officers he had a legitimate interest in fireworks and had bought some materials online.
In evidence, another neighbour, Trevor Jones, said the noise was like a battlefield and the bangs and explosions became gradually louder, sounding like artillery fire. But the court was told Larsen got a "thrill from what he was doing and the attention it was generating."
'Like a bomb'
Resident Shirley Clarke told the trial: "People often said they were fireworks - they were not fireworks.
"They were humongous. They were more than fireworks, it was like a bomb."
In evidence another neighbour, Trevor Jones, said the noise was like a battlefield - and the bangs and explosions became gradually louder, sounding like artillery fire.
The blast under the Land Rover on March 24 showered ball-bearings and shrapnel over a large area, smashing windows.
One resident found that a ball-bearing had hit a headboard on their bed.
An explosives expert said the ball-bearings had either been packed or strapped onto the device and would have been ejected from the bomb at "several hundred metres per second" with the potential to cause serious injury or even death to any passers-by.
Larsen denied the charges throughout his trial. The former stonemason, who stopped working in 2004 after injuring his back, said his hobbies were photography, fireworks and "hand magic".
He said he made "fireworks, not bombs".
Prior to his arrest Larsen gave interviews to the media, including BBC Wales, and said how people were "terrified", and how "scary" the incidents were.