Whitchurch bomb hoax pensioner is jailed

Part of the town had to be sealed off and the bomb squad was brought in to ensure Stephen Merrifield's car was safe in May last year.

Merrifield, 82, said he carried out the hoax because he was angry with police officers for arresting him for breaching a sexual offences order banning him from being on a bus.

Yesterday at Shrewsbury Crown Court Merrifield, who had been living at Black Park, Whitchurch, at the time, was jailed for 16 months for breaching the order, two months for assaulting a police officer, four months for placing an article with intent to cause alarm and four months for the harassment and intimidation of witnesses.

Judge Peter Barrie said Merrifield had behaved appallingly.

Miss Seleena Mahmood, prosecuting, said Merrifield had a long history of sexual offending, with an order against him preventing him from having contact with children and also from travelling on buses and wearing anything that resembled public service or forces uniforms.

In April 2018 he was seen on a bus, saluting people and reported to the police. He went on to harass and intimidate those people who reported him.

Released

When Merrifield, a bus conductor for 40 years, was arrested in May for breaching the order he was extremely obstructive, threw a shoe at an officer and scratched him, Miss Mahmood said.

He was released and a few days later his green Ford Fiesta was found outside Whitchurch Railway Station. Notes inside the car said it was booby trapped.

"Break-in and up you go," one said. Another was threatening and racially abusive.

Police found a petrol can and a large unidentified object in the boot, set up a cordon around the railway station and called in the explosive ordnance unit which eventually declared the car safe.

When Merrifield's house was searched, police found other notes and Nazi memorabilia inside, Miss Mahmood said.

He told police he had been deeply disturbed by his treatment by the police but regretted his actions.

Mr Dean Easthope for Merrifield said his client was currently remanded in custody and his health was a major concern.

He was confined to a wheelchair because of his leg ulcers and because he was isolated he was depressed.

"My client has told me that he suffers from a personality disorder and is delusional," Mr Easthope said.

"He can't drive any more and so needs to use the buses to get around. He says it was a mistake moving to Whitchurch and never wants to return."

"He thought he was being discriminated against by police."

In jailing Merrifield, Judge Barrie altered the sexual offences order removing the ban on him travelling on buses.