Thomas and Jeanette Cowley

THE mum of a boy who caused a bomb scare has told how her son fled the country after being taunted by neighbours.

Jeanette Cowley, of Queens Road, Wootton Bassett, said her son Thomas was repeatedly called a bomber' after the incident in June last year.

Mrs Cowley said he is only in custody now because he fled to Canada to get away from the taunts.

She said that days later she had to coax him back, as he was in breach of his bail conditions.

Police then swooped to arrest the 19-year-old at Heathrow and promptly delivered him to Reading Prison.

"He was getting upset with all the kids and their taunts, calling him bomber' and things. They can be very cruel you know," she said.

"It had also upset him that he would have to go to prison. He is a very gentle person and wouldn't hurt a fly."

Cowley pleaded guilty at Swindon Crown Court to causing a mass evacuation during a bomb scare in Wootton Bassett on June 28.

The teenager stood fidgety and pale faced, as he answered guilty to each of the five charges after they were read out to him.

He was charged with four counts of making explosive substances and one count of having an explosive substance.

The youngster was thrown into the spotlight on June 28 last year when police evacuated 100 people from their homes in Queens Road and neighbouring Eveleigh Street.

Neighbours were turfed out after Cowley was discovered mixing dangerous chemicals in his garden shed.

Mrs Cowley said her son was not a terrorist but a chemistry enthusiast'.

She said the chemicals were discovered after he fell ill conducting experiments in the shed and inhaled fumes, making him feel nauseous.

She said: "I knew he was going to plead guilty even though none of us thought it was against the law what he was doing.

"He was ordering these things off the internet. It wasn't for malicious purposes, it was just a hobby."

Cowley handled mercury, ammonium nitrate nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine and triacetone tiperoxide during the incident.

He also had home made explosive initiators and battery swap connectors.

Virginia Cornwall, defending Cowley, asked Judge Douglas Field to adjourn sentencing so a pre-sentence report could be compiled on her client.

She said; "Can we adjourn in order that probation can consider my client's position and these reports and, hopefully, come back with a proposal of rehabilitation for this young man."

Over the next month Cowley will face psychiatric tests, which the court will use to decide how to precede with sentencing.

Cowley was remanded into custody and will reappear at Swindon Crown Court on April 23.

8:05am Thursday 27th March 2008

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