2 hours ago
1
A drug dealer has been jailed for seven years after rigging a series of houses with Home Alone-style booby traps to deter intruders.
Ian Claughton, 60, was found guilty of several drugs and firearms offences in November after standing trial at Doncaster crown court alongside his ex-wife Lesley Claughton, who was given a 21-month sentence suspended for two years.
The pair had been accused of being involved in the cannabis drug trade, growing and supplying the class B drug from three properties near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
During the trial the court heard that Claughton and his then wife “heavily fortified” the houses, all of which were in Grimethorpe, a village on the outskirts of the town, using tools such as modified crow scarers, fishing wire, stun guns and even a homemade flame-thrower.
Addressing jurors in October, the prosecutor Helen Chapman said: “If you are sitting there thinking that this sounds a little like the film Home Alone, then you would be correct. In fact, that is precisely what Ian Claughton said he was aiming for when he told the police about these devices.”
Claughton, who was convicted of three counts of possessing prohibited firearms, possession of criminal property and possession of explosive substances, denied intending to hurt anyone who entered the houses, despite his workshop having a sign outside that warned intruders to “prepare and get themselves measured up for their own coffin”. He told the court he crafted the flame-thrower from a fire extinguisher to “wow” people during Bonfire Night.
The couple were caught when Border Force officers intercepted parcels from China addressed to Lesley that contained imitation firearms. This led to police raiding the three addresses in May 2024. About 130 nearby properties were evacuated while a bomb squad dealt with the traps.
Searches also found “an enormous amount of cash” hidden across the three homes, including £27,000 stitched into a sofa, as well as a crossbow, crossbow bolts, a knife and large amounts of amphetamines hidden in places such as a breadbin and in a Maltesers chocolate box.
Det Supt Al Burns, of the Yorkshire and Humber regional organised crime unit, said: “Ian Claughton is someone who was clearly involved in drugs offending to a very significant degree. He appears to have developed a siege mentality that saw him go to unusual and elaborate lengths to defend his home and its illicit contents from would-be intruders, drawing inspiration from Macaulay Culkin’s character in the popular Christmas film Home Alone.
“When he tried to import realistic-looking firearms from China, which were diligently intercepted by UK Border Force staff, we became involved and carried out raids on his addresses. The modified booby-trap devices officers found at his address, alongside an array of other weapons, had the appearance of homemade bombs and obviously caused us serious concerns, which were rightly met with an appropriate multi-agency response to safeguard the public until military experts could declare the scene safe.
“This caused significant disruption and concern in the local community over a number of days, and we hope all those affected can take some comfort and reassurance from seeing Claughton and his ex-partner being criminally held to account.”
