One jailed but two not locked up over toxic bombs found in Lincolnshire
Military memorabilia hunters sparked a major environmental alert when they dumped Second World War mustard gas canisters in a Lincolnshire lake, a court heard. The trio discovered the lethal canisters in an old store building while searching the site of a former military base at Roughton Woods, near Woodhall Spa, looking for items. They removed…
Martyn and Michaela Tasker (left) and Stuart Holmes (right) at Lincoln Crown Court. Photo: DANPICS
Military memorabilia hunters sparked a major environmental alert when they dumped Second World War mustard gas canisters in a Lincolnshire lake, a court heard.
The trio discovered the lethal canisters in an old store building while searching the site of a former military base at Roughton Woods, near Woodhall Spa, looking for items.
They removed 16 of the canisters and emptied three of them onto the ground.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that initially the trio were not sure what the canisters contained, but after seeking advice from fellow military enthusiast Paul Spence it was identified as mustard gas and they were told “leave them alone and never go back there”.
They were advised either to dig a hole and bury the canisters or call out the explosives ordnance disposal team.
Instead they dumped the canisters in Stixwould Lake which is part of the local watercourse and resulted in the potential devastation of waterways in the area.
The matter only came to light a few days later when Martyn Tasker sought hospital treatment for blisters on his arm.
The following day his wife Michaela collapsed while waiting to see her doctor for a respiratory problem which was linked to her exposure to the chemicals.
Police became involved but initially they did not reveal they had dumped the canisters in the lake.
The subsequent investigation led to a £300,000 clean-up operation involving 20 different agencies after police declared a major incident. A total of 150 mustard gas canisters were found on the site.
The scene above the lake at Stixwood. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Specialists from Porton Down were brought in by the Ministry of Defence and the entire area was sealed off for a fortnight.
As part of their investigation police later searched the home of Martyn Tasker and discovered two Bren light machine guns under a bed. 10 rounds of ammunition were found in a bedside cabinet.
Martyn Tasker, 40, his wife Michaela Tasker, 32, both of Longdales Road, Lincoln, and Stuart Holmes, 51, of Witham Road, Woodhall Spa, each admitted breach of the Chemical Weapons Act by possessing mustard gas canisters between September 27 and October 1 2017.
The three also admitted breaching environmental protection laws by causing the discharge of mustard gas into Stixwould Lake near Woodhall Spa, on September 30 2017.
Holmes further admitted disposing of mustard gas in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to public health between September 28 and October 1 2017.
In addition Martyn Tasker admitted two charges of possession of a Bren light machine gun and a further charge of possession of 10 rounds of ammunition without a firearms certificate on October 4 2017.
Specialists disposing of the canisters from Stixwould Lake.
Martyn Tasker, described by the judge as the prime mover, was today jailed for five years. Michaela Tasker and Stuart Holmes were each given a 12 month jail sentence suspended for two years.
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker, passing sentence, told them “The potential of harm from the mustard gas was of a very high order.
“Paul Spence told you to either dig a hole or call the explosives ordnance disposal team because it was not worth risking your lives. The three of you decided to do otherwise.
“With your knowledge of the extremely hazardous nature of the contents of the canisters I am satisfied that the decision to dispose of the canisters in this manner was designed to cover up the fact that the three of you were in unlawful possession of them.”
The judge added that the machine guns were both capable of being fired and were held in an insecure place. He added “They could so easily have fallen into the hands of organised crime.”
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Marc Jones, the re-elected Conservative Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said that his work is not done, as he’s looking forward to a further three years in the role.
Mr Jones won with a 57.9% majority of the poll from the first round of counting, with 102,813 votes from a 31% turnout. A total of 177,528 votes were placed county-wide.
The nearest candidate was Labour’s Rosanne Kirk, with a 19% share of the votes, with Lincolnshire Independent David Williams securing the third spot with 10%.
The breakdown of the votes cast on Thursday, May 6, and counted on Saturday, may 8, was:
Marc Jones (Conservative) – 102,813
Rosanne Kirk (Labour) – 34,310
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independent) – 18,375
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats) – 10,172
Peter Escreet (Reform UK) – 6,101
Marc Jones: “More work to do”
“It’s very gratifying to have concluded today on the first count, that was a really positive thing for what I’ve delivered so far,” said Mr Jones.
“But I’m under no illusions having spoken to many around the county there’s an awful lot more work to do.”
He said he wanted to assure the public that “nothing was taken for granted”.
Rosie Kirk – Labour – 2nd place
Labour’s candidate Rosie Kirk said she was “thrilled for her party” across all three elections that had taken place in Lincolnshire this week.
“The votes that we got was incredible. Our message got through and to actually come second in a Conservative county is really great,” she said.
However, she added that there were “lots of questions that still need to be asked” and promised to keep up her scrutiny of Marc in his role.
Ross Pepper – Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrat candidate Ross Pepper said the result was not “entirely unexpected”.
However, he said he was proud of the three Liberal Democrat councillors that had won seats in the local elections at Lincolnshire County and City of Lincoln Councils.
“I’m ready to work with them for a better Lincolnshire and a better Lincoln,” he said.
“In a Conservative heavy county we did a really good job of getting the Liberal Democrat message out there… and we continue pushing that message through local campaigning in the future.”
David Williams – Lincolnshire Independents
David Williams, the Lincolnshire Independents PCC candidate congratulated Marc Jones on his victory but said it is “not a surprising outcome”.
“I’m really pleased to have run for the post, because if I hadn’t have had a go to do a job that I really would have relished then I would have looked back and regretted not having taking the opportunity.”
Peter Escreet – Reform UK
Peter Escreet, the Reform UK candidate also said the result “was as expected” but actually he was “pleasantly surprised,” saying that this is “just the start”.
“The real campaign is in three years’ time” where Mr Escreet wants to grow a majority.
Conservative Marc Jones has been re-elected to the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner role.
He won from the first round of counting with 102,813 votes from a 31% turnout.
The PCC oversees the strategy and finances of the force, and also hires and fires chief constables, who are responsible for the daily policing operations.
Mr Jones will be in the position for three years.
The breakdown of the results is:
Marc Jones (Conservative) – 102,813
Rosanne Kirk (Labour) – 34,310
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats) – 10,172
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independent) – 18,375
Peter Escreet (Reform UK) – 6,101
Here’s the live result announcement, the reactions and acceptance speech:
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