Man jailed for Bedminster pub bomb hoax which cost taxpayers £10,000

Michael Casey, 40, was sentenced to 40 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a bomb hoax at the Three Lions in Bedminster - and making a second fake threat while in prison on remand.

The court heard Casey, who has 23 previous convictions for 53 offences, called police on October 9 last year falsely claiming he had placed three pipe bombs inside the boozer in Bedminster, Bristol.

Prosecutor Jack Barry told Bristol Crown Court Casey rang 999 from his local Premier convenience shop at 12.40pm after drinking five litres of cider.

His calm demeanour convinced the operator his threat was genuine and prompted the pub and nearby buildings to be evacuated and three roads to be shut.

The prosecution claimed 60 police officers attended the scene at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £10,000.

A 50m police cordon was also put in place and an evacuation carried out while specialist teams searched the area.

The Three Lions in Bedminster (Image: SWNS Tim Sigsworth)

Less than a month later, Casey made another bomb threat that locked down HMP Bristol where he was on remand.

At 10am on November 3, 2022 he told prison officers he had made a device with a “15 metre blast radius” using a kettle, TV remote and roll-on deodorant.

He was eventually convinced to cut the wires connecting the various parts of the contraption using a plastic knife by another prisoner who monitored fellow inmates for the authorities.

Officers then escorted Casey to a cell where he said: “There is a chemical mix inside.

“I cannot remember what I was doing.

“All I needed was some bleach tablets and some sugar to make a live bomb.

“If it had gone off it would have been a 15 metre blast radius.”

Michael Casey, 40, was sentenced to 40 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a bomb hoax at a pub in Bedminster (Image: SWNS Tim Sigsworth)

The court heard a bomb expert from the British Army discovered it was a dud after being summoned to the prison from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

In a police interview on April 20, Casey denied telling prison officers it was a live explosive and said he was suffering from paranoia and suicidal thoughts at the time.

Defending, John Stokes said his client “acknowledged the massive inconvenience to the authorities” caused by the two incidents.

Casey admitted two counts of carrying out a bomb hoax by communicating false information" at an earlier hearing.

Jailing him on Friday, June 2, Judge Martin Picton said Casey, of West Street, Bristol, had an “emotionally unstable” personality and posed “a high risk of serious harm to members of the public”.

The court also heard he had previously been jailed for three years in 2004 on two counts of making explosives for unlawful purposes.

The judge added: “You have in the past created viable pipe bombs.

“Further, I am dealing with not one offence but two.

“Even in your inebriated state you must have been aware of the potential impact of what you said.

“You have denied any significant mental health problems and it does not appear you have had any input from appropriate services in the community.

“You display traits of having an emotionally unstable personality and an antisocial personality.

“You remain unwilling to engage with those who can help you.”

Casey was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment, half of which will be in custody and half will be served on licence.

Speaking after the case, DC Jordan Pearce, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “The incident in Bedminster had a significant impact on people and businesses that day and caused a great deal of stress.

“It was appropriate we took the threat seriously and that is why people from the pub and nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution.

"It took a number of hours for thorough searches of the pub, its grounds and Michael Casey’s home address to be carried out before we could declare the area was safe.

"During that time, officers searching for him tracked him down and made an arrest.

“His reckless and foolish actions resulted in a significant amount of police time and resources being diverted to this incident and he had no thought for other people who may have been in need of our help at the same time.”