Bourne: Man Charged Over Explosion

10 June 2013, 07:46 | Updated: 12 June 2013, 18:58

A man has been charged over an explosion at a Conservative MP's office in Bourne, near Peterborough.

Officers have charged 24 year old Paul Leversedge, of Marquess Court, Bourne, with criminal damage with intent to endanger life.

He has appeared at Grantham Magistrates Court, and has been remanded in custody to appear at Lincoln Crown Court on the 26 June.

It's after Lincolnshire Police and Fire crews were called to reports of shattering glass and an explosion at 1.24am on Monday (10 June).

Police say no-one was injured and there was only minor damage to the building.

According to Lincolnshire Police, a Bomb Disposal Unit was called to the site to 'assist with searches of the property'.

A woman, who lives close to the office, told Heart: "I saw two big flashes, then heard two big bangs.

I heard the smash of a window, and car alarms going off.

It startled me, because I was in bed, and I didn't have a clue what the noise was.

I was a bit shocked, because you don't expect something like this to happen in a small place like Bourne."

Another woman, who also lives close by, told Heart: "The whole of the house shook - I was petrified.

I was really shocked to come out of my home and see police, sniffer dogs and a bomb disposal unit." 

A man, who also lives nearby, told Heart: "It sounded like a big firework had gone off.

Then, around an hour later, it sounded like a big explosion with a big flash.

I went downstairs to find out what had happened, and saw that Police had arrived."

In a statement, the Grantham and Stamford MP said: "Obviously I deplore this act of violence." 

"The incident is being investigated by the police and I know that everyone will do whatever they can to support the investigation."

"In the meantime, we should all carry on doing our jobs as normal."

A statement from Lincolnshire Police reads: "Officers attended the scene and minor damage had been caused to the building.

No one had been hurt.

Early indications suggest this incident is not linked to any wider issues or recent events in the county."

Anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area, or anyone with any information on the incident is asked to call DI Pete Grayson on the non emergency 101 number, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on: 0800 555 111.