A Brazilian national who triggered a terrorism alert by placing a fake explosive device outside the MI5 headquarters has been sent to the Old Bailey for sentencing after a magistrate ruled the offence too serious for his court.
Julian Valente Pereira, 32, was found guilty of perpetrating a bomb hoax following a trial in February, and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today expecting to learn his fate.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring instead remanded Pereira in custody, determining that the case exceeded his sentencing powers, which are capped at 12 months' imprisonment.
The failed asylum seeker carried out his protest at Thames House in central London on New Year's Day - just 24 hours after learning he faced removal from the country.
CCTV footage captured Pereira attempting to enter the building before pushing immigration paperwork through the locked doors.
He then produced an object from his bag designed to resemble a stick of dynamite, initially tossing it onto the pavement, before positioning it against the entrance with a green cigarette lighter placed alongside.
The brown cylinder appeared to have a fuse protruding from its top, prompting a counter-terrorism explosives specialist to be summoned to examine the suspicious item.
Officers subsequently discovered the device had been constructed from rolled A4 paper, brown masking tape and string.
Julian Valente Pereira attempted to stuff his immigration papers through the door
|CPS
The incident forced police to redirect resources away from the New Year's Day parade in the capital, a factor the magistrate cited as significant when referring the matter to Crown Court.
Pereira arrived in Britain with a valid work permit in July 2018, but has resided in the country unlawfully since February 2019.
He voluntarily reported himself to authorities as an overstayer in October 2020, then applying for asylum after being instructed to leave.
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The Home Office placed him in asylum accommodation in June 2021, but his application was refused two years later.
His final appeal against that decision was dismissed by a judge on December 31 2025 - the day before he staged his protest at the security services headquarters.
Prosecutor Shannon Revel told the court that Pereira had acknowledged seeking "maximum attention" for his grievances against the Home Office following years of unsuccessful attempts to secure permission to remain.
His asylum accommodation was withdrawn on January 9.
The cameras picked up a closer look of the pseudo dynamite
|CPS
The magistrate indicated that were he sitting at Crown Court, he would consider a sentence of approximately 18 months, potentially suspended.
"His culpability is diminished by his mental health, but it's the diversion of resources and the building chosen that are significant," Mr Goldspring said.
During his trial, Pereira maintained the object would not have been mistaken for a genuine explosive, stating: "The news inside was dynamite".
However, the court concluded he intended observers to believe the device was real.
The trial also heard that Pereira visited Buckingham Palace on the same day, throwing a bag containing his immigration ruling and a knife pierced through his identification card over the perimeter gates.
A sentencing date at the Old Bailey is yet to be fixed.