Telford teenager made train bomb hoax calls as a joke, court told
A teenager made hoax calls saying there were bombs on board a train and on a station platform "as a joke", a court heard.
Tehfoor Javeed sparked a frantic search at Birmingham New Street station when he called National Rail's enquiries line claiming there were four bombs in a red suitcase on a platform.
Just hours later he also claimed there were explosives on board a train running between Birmingham and Aberystwyth which would detonate in 10 minutes.
Javeed also used a help point at Newtown train station in Powys to tell the operator a gunman had shot him in the leg – but police on the train he boarded found him uninjured.
When he appeared before Shrewsbury Magistrates Court on Thursday, Javeed, 18, pleaded guilty to two charges of making a bomb hoax and another of sending an offensive message using a public communication network.
Javeed, who lives in Victoria Avenue in Wellington, had used a withheld number to make the bomb hoax calls – but during the call told the operator his number, the court heard.
Mrs Becky Jones, prosecuting, said: "When interviewed by police on October 20 he said he had made the calls 'as a joke' and accepted that his actions caused the operator to be terrified."
Javeed received a warning in 2011 and was convicted in 2013 of earlier bomb hoaxes, the court heard.
Mr John McMillan, for Javeed, said: "Mr Javeed's intellectual capacity is not the same as his chronological age. He knows what he did was wrong but he does not have the ability to grasp the full weight and impact of his actions."
The case was adjourned for full reports to be written and Javeed was granted unconditional bail to return to the same court on January 29 for sentencing.
