Redditch Ex-RAF mechanic 'bought grenades for a thrill'

A former RAF mechanic told a court he bought two hand grenades because he found it extremely thrilling but never intended to use them.

Alex Piatt-Green, 52, of Redditch in Worcestershire, said he brought them from abroad but did not intend to use them and had been acting out a fantasy.

He previously admitted attempting to possess an explosive substance on or before 26 January.

He will be sentenced at he Old Bailey in London on 10 November.

The charges said he tried to get two fragmentation grenades "in circumstances that give rise to a reasonable suspicion that he would not have them in his possession for a lawful object".

He claimed in a basis of plea that he did not intend to use them and insisted it was just a fantasy.

The court heard he ordered the weapons in January.

Once they arrived he tried to dump them in a nearby skip, he said, but after being unable to locate it left them in a bin near his home.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Peter Ratliff he said he had weapons training and had handled munitions while working in the military.

He also said he had been under the influence of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol when he paid more than £500 for the grenades from someone thought to have been in the US.

When asked by Mr Ratliff why he was prepared to spend money on the items, Piatt-Green said it was extremely thrilling.

The court heard he had also exchanged a message with the seller which said "if everything goes well I will be back for handguns and rifles" but Piatt-Green said it was part of the pantomime.

Piatt-Green's basis of plea was deemed unacceptable to the prosecution, which meant he was asked to give evidence during a trial of issue on Friday.

Addressing the judge, Mr Ratliff said: "This was a very deliberate attempt to secure munitions by a defendant with a very real interest in establishing... a relationship with a munitions supplier."

He added the suggestion he had been looking for a skip to get rid of the grenades was nonsense.

A written ruling on the legal dispute will be produced before sentencing.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk