Fake goods found in Lincolnshire potentially funding terrorism, experts warn

A civilian Lincolnshire Police worker admitted making an improvised explosive device found following a search of her home.

Former PCSO Zoe Ashley Watts, 35, was arrested in October 2020 after police searched her semi-detached house in St Helens Avenue, Lincoln.

It followed concerns raised by the Border Force who had intercepted packages containing two butterfly knives a month earlier.

Watts today appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where she pleaded guilty to making an explosive substance, namely an improvised explosive device, between January 1 and October 4, 2020.

Zoe Watts with a collection of bats.

Andrew Peat, representing the prosecution, said the Crown accepted Watts’ account for why she had the device and other items, and would not pursue a trial on the matter.

Mr Peat told the court: “Unlike similar cases there is no evidence any of these items were possessed with an ideology in mind, anything political.”

When Watts was arrested Lincolnshire Police said officers discovered a quantity of chemicals and a number of weapons.

Nearby residents were evacuated for a number of hours and a bomb disposal team was called out to carry out safety checks before the all clear was given.

Watts, who previously was a member of the Bracebridge Lowfields Community Police Team working in the south of Lincoln, has been suspended by the force pending the outcome of criminal proceedings and an investigation.

She was also a trade union activist serving as the equalities officer for the Lincolnshire Police UNISON.

Watts, who worked for Lincolnshire Police for nine years, had moved to a civilian role by the time of her arrest.

Watts pleaded to five charges relating to other items found in her home and two butterfly knives which were intercepted by the Border Force in September last year.

Zoe will be sentenced on June 29. | Photo: Stephen Daniels

Her guilty pleas were to the following charges:

• Making an explosive substance, namely an improvised explosive device, between January 1 and October 4, 2020.
• On October 4, 2020 had in her possession a prohibted weapon adapted for discharge of a noxious liquid, gas or other thing, namely an electric fly swat.
• On October 4, 2020 had in her possession a prohibited weapon, namely stun gun.
• On October 4, 2020 had in her possession a prohibited weapon, namely a taser stun device.
• On September 5 improperly imported goods, a prohibited weapon, namely a butterfly knife.

Zoe uses a baseball bat covered in glass and smashes watermelons with faces of famous people including Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. | Still: YouTube

Nick Fooks, defending Watts, told the court she was anxious to be sentenced straight away.

Mr Fooks said: “She is a woman of previous good characher.

“This defendant has already served somewhere in the region of eight months in custody.”

But Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight rejected the application, stating: “It is a very odd set of offences.”

The judge told Watts: “I am going to adjourn your case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report which will address all options, including the risk you pose to others.”

Watts will be sentenced on June 29 and was remanded back into custody.

A couple who had to cancel their wedding twice due to the coronavirus pandemic were finally able to officially tie the knot as restrictions eased on Monday.

Luke Hinojosa and Abi Morgan had to wait just over two years to get their official big day, which took place at the White Hart Hotel in the Bailgate on May 17.

On their big day, Luke told BBC Look North: “It’s surreal. Probably been just over two years wait, so for it to be finally here is amazing. We feel we can carry on with life now as husband and wife really and start building a future together.”

Abi added: “I am really happy, we’ve waited a long time.”

Ian Robinson, White Hart Hotel General Manager, said: “When we opened the doors this morning (Monday) it was like a kid on Christmas Day. This is what we do, this is hospitality, this is what we’ve waited for.

“We want to see people smiling, happy, getting married, eating, drinking and enjoying themselves as we used to.”

The couple previously had to cancel twice, meaning two family members that have since passed away were sadly unable to be there – Abi’s Granddad and Luke’s Grandma.

A special ceremony was held in the gardens at St Barnabas Hopsice’s Inpatient Unit in Lincoln in September 2020 to enable Luke’s Grandma Vera to watch them walk down the aisle. Vera was even able to perform the ring bearer duties from her bed.

The nurses had decorated the garden and the catering team provided provided an afternoon tea for close family.

Cases of the Indian variant in Lincolnshire remain low but health bosses say it will one day become the dominant strain like the Kent variant did.

Authority bosses are trying to temper concerns around the vaccine and reassure people it is safe, in a bid to get as many people to get the jab as possible.

On Tuesday, Sky News published a map which showed where some cases had been confirmed across the county.

The map, which uses figures from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, shows the variant in 127 local authorities – with a rolling average across May 1-8 showing 1 sample processed in West Lindsey and 0.5 in East Lindsey.

Matt Hancock said in the House of Commons on Monday that 2,323 cases had been confirmed across the UK as he opened up vaccines to ages 36-37 and over.

Assistant director of public health at Lincolnshire County Council Andy Fox said his own data did not necessarily fit with the Wellcome Sanger data due to different methodologies.

He said: “We’re aware of just a handful of cases of the variant of concern first detected in India in Lincolnshire, less than five, and in all cases that we’re aware of there’s been no further onward transmission at this point.

“I’m expecting to see more variants of concern in Lincolnshire, and eventually over time, and it will be a slower process in Lincolnshire than elsewhere in the country, this new variant will just become the strain of COVID that is circulating.

“Just as much as flu strains change over time. COVID will probably continually change and new strains will come through but the good news is that as I say the vaccine does seem to be very effective against it.”

As lockdown restrictions relaxed further on Monday, Mr Fox said he was excited, but was always going to urge caution.

“The spread of COVID in some areas in the country is a reminder that we still need to be cautious. Just because we can now do some things that we couldn’t previously doesn’t mean that we should.

“People should still, if they can, prioritise mixing outdoors rather than indoors, that people should still keep safe two metres distance.

“If they can, obviously we do want people to be able to enjoy the new freedoms, but to do so responsibly to try and focus on protecting others through that behaviour and of course, to take up the offer of the vaccine.”

He said there was “no reason not to take” the vaccine, and that it was “clear the vaccine was safe and effective”.

He was happy with how quickly the vaccine had moved through all the age groups originally expecting it to be to be just about on the over 50s at this point rather than the 36-and-overs.

He said numbers in general remain stable as national rate fluctuated with the new variant but he was not concerned about small proportion increases and wouldn’t be until there was an exponential rise.