A UK drug dealer who turned his home into a Home Alone-inspired fortress of traps, pipe bombs, and improvised weapons has been jailed for seven years.
UK police uncovered a trove of contraband, including a homemade flamethrower, cannabis grow room, and imitation firearms, at 60-year-old Ian Claughton's home in Grimethorpe, in central England.
Claughton was arrested in May 2024 after UK police raided a property in the Yorkshire village and two linked addresses following the interception of a package from China by the UK Border Force.
Inside were five 'switch gun' folding revolvers which were later found to be imitation firearms.
During the raid, officers found a trove of contraband, including two primed mantraps, two possible guns, and four "large bags" of cannabis with an estimated street value of £16,000 (NZ$36,015).
A cannabis grow with 24 plants was found in a secret room on the property. A separate search of his ex-wife's home resulted in 1.5kg of amphetamine being seized.
What police described as an "array of imitation firearms" were found, alongside a crossbow and a home-made flamethrower fashioned out of an old fire extinguisher.
A video recovered from his phone showed Claughton demonstrating the flamethrower.
A large amount of cash, including £27,000 (NZ$60,781), was also found stitched into a couch.
The most alarming discovery was a set of improvised explosive devices rigged around the home.
Police found pipe bombs built from fireworks inserted into sealed plastic tubes, wrapped in plastic sheeting and connected to tripwires.
The bomb squad was called in, prompting the evacuation of dozens of nearby residents and the establishment of a 100m cordon.
Claughton told officers the devices were "crow scarers" and similar to smaller "banger" type fireworks, which he adapted by placing in plastic pipes sealed with expanding foam and wrapped in plastic sheeting.
He attached the pipe bombs to trip wires to deter anyone from breaking into his home. One device placed on a back door was rigged to a tripwire connected to a 12v battery and an airhorn.
A second was rigged in his bedroom, and Claughton had plans to put a third in a can of paint to mark intruders.
A note to potential intruders read: "WARNING. Do not enter these premises unless invited to do so. The premises and its surrounding buildings, yard are booby-trapped. You have been warned. [Redacted] no longer lives, works here. It's no joke, everything booby-trapped."
Another read: CONGRATULATIONS. Well done for getting this far. Now would be a good time to get measured up for your coffin and say goodbye to loved ones. This gate is electrified in excess of 50,000 volts. Enter at own risk, be warned."
Claughton said he had been targeted by burglars in the past and that believed they were after his cannabis crop.
He told officers he was inspired by the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone starring actor Macaulay Culkin.
He claimed to have imported the switch guns, believing they fired blanks, and intended to use them at a themed birthday party. He also claimed the amphetamine was for weight loss and chronic fatigue.
The cannabis, Claughton said, was grown under duress, saying threats from unnamed others had forced him.
He and his ex-wife, Lesley Claughton, were charged with firearms and drugs offences.
Claughton pleaded guilty to bringing a realistic imitation firearm into the country; being concerned in the production of cannabis; and two counts of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, amphetamines and cannabis.
He denied three counts of possessing prohibited firearms – one in relation to the flamethrower; possession of criminal property in relation to the recovered cash; and possession of explosive substances.
Following a trial at the Doncaster Crown Court, which finished in November last year, Claughton was convicted of those charges, but found not guilty of one charge related to a stun gun found in the raid.
Lesley was found guilty of bringing a realistic imitation firearm into the country; possessing Class B drugs, cannabis and amphetamines with intent to supply; possession of criminal property and being concerned in the production of cannabis.
The pair were sentenced at the Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.
Claughton was jailed for seven years, while his ex-wife was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment suspended for two years.
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