A 74 year old man who brought part of Liverpool City Centre to a standstill due to a bomb hoax has today been jailed for 16 months.
Pensioner David Norris sparked a bomb alert after he threatened to detonate a device which he said would turn anyone within 10m “to dust”.
Today, remedy he was jailed for 16 months. The court was told today how he targted the offices of Groves, John and Westrup in Tithebarn Street because he believed they had cheated him out of an insurance claim when his ship sank.
It was the 28th anniversary of the sinking of his ship when he entered the building with a black holdall and fake bomb. He handed a threatening note to the receptionist which read “Follow these instructions and no one will be harmed, please vacate the building.”
The hoax bomb which had a red flashing light attached to a Nokia sparked a four-hour armed siege.
Norris also claimed that he had planted bombs at John Lennon Airport and Lime Street station, leading to searches there.
When Norris eventually came out of the building he confessed the device was not real and said he never intended to harm anyone.
The police operation cost £20,000 and the cost of the fire service’s response was £16,000.