Man denies blowing up Ulez camera with explosives as he tells court: 'I thought I was arrested for Facebook posts!'

The former service engineer pleaded not guilty to causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious property damage, along with three counts of possessing prohibited weapons.

The court heard that the camera had already been brought down earlier on the same day by another individual, Stephen Harwood-Stamper, who subsequently admitted to criminal damage after cutting through the pole.

A separate person is said to have detonated the device while the camera lay on the ground.

When questioned by his defence barrister Simon Ray about whether he was responsible for the blast, Mr Rees responded: "No, I'm not. Not something I would do."

Mr Rees told the court he thought counter-terrorism officers detained him because of comments he had made on social media opposing the controversial clean-air scheme.

"I assumed it was just the so-called Facebook police," Mr Rees said.

He referenced cases of people who had been jailed for social media posts, adding: "The thing is, I didn't actually do anything wrong."

The defendant maintained he had never encountered or communicated with Harwood-Stamper - and only became aware of the incident through a local Facebook group.

Upon his arrest 12 days after the explosion, Mr Rees asked officers whether it concerned "the anti-Ulez sites".

He told jurors: "There was only one explosion that was on the news, and that was the one in Sidcup."

During police interviews, Mr Rees claimed he had spent the evening of December 6 at a friend's property, where he was installing a new kitchen.

But CCTV recordings nearby contradicted his account, revealing that the defendant left his friend's home in the afternoon and never came back that evening.

Addressing this discrepancy in court, Mr Rees said: "I was 100 per cent convinced I was at his house - as I still am now, in my head but I have seen CCTV of me leaving the property, so, obviously, I was not there."

Prosecutors alleged that three stun guns were discovered at Mr Rees's residence following his arrest.

The defendant rejected this, telling jurors that he had constructed the devices himself because he took pleasure in "tinkering about with electrical devices" given his background working with domestic appliances.

When asked about his involvement with anti-Ulez Facebook communities, Mr Rees offered a straightforward explanation.

"Boredom, and, almost, a community," he replied, noting "I'm retired, not much else to do - didn't particularly interest me that much."

The trial continues.

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