COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Police said they found "suspicious items" in a house in Brookside Avenue, Whoberley



A 20-year-old man has been detained under the Explosives Act after police raided a house in Coventry today.

Inside the house in Brookside Avenue, Whoberley, officers found some "suspicious items" and the Army’s bomb disposal was called to the scene.

A cordon was placed around the property and both Brookside Avenue and neighbouring Rubens Close were closed off.

People were also evacuated from nearby homes.

In a statement, West Midlands Police, said: "Officers executed a warrant at an address in Brookside Avenue, Coventry today (Tuesday 24 April).

"Following a search of the property, officers found some suspicious items and the Army’s EOD team has been called to carry out an examination of the items.

"As a precaution, a cordon has been placed around the property.

"A 20-year-old local man has been detained under the Explosives Act.

"Enquiries are ongoing."

Asked if the incident was being linked to terrorism, they said they were keeping an open mind.

A spokesman said: “Enquiries continue to establish if the items at the property are suspicious.

"We are keeping an open mind at this stage.”

Police deny fire was rigged to hide removal of GOAT from house

Police have denied claims that a blast near the home of a man arrested on suspicion of explosive offences was a diversionary tactic - to distract the media while a GOAT was led away.

A report on BBC Midlands Today last night suggested the "controlled detonation" on nearby wasteland was a distraction to move cameras away while officers led the animal out of the house.

Reporter Joan Cummings told viewers: "A few moments ago there was a controlled detonation on scrapland behind the house.

"We now understand that this was a diversion to move our cameras away from the area while the police and army remove what we understand was a goat from the house in question."

Police had earlier arrested a 20-year-old man at the house in Brookside Avenue, Whoberley, on suspicion of breaching the Explosives Act.

The bomb squad then removed a "suspicious" substance from the property which they disposed of in a nearby field.

Responding to the BBC's claims, West Midlands Police said: "There was not been a controlled explosion - nothing was blown up.

"There was a controlled disposal of a substance recovered from the property.

"It was NOT a diversionary tactic at all.

"EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) disposed of the material at the point they were able to and then items were brought out of the property as it was deemed safe to do so."

The police have not issued any statement regarding a goat.

Bomb squad back for a third time at house in Whoberley



The Army's bomb disposal unit are back at a house in Coventry for a third time in less than a week.

Families were evacuated from their homes on both Tuesday - when the police first arrived - and for a second day on Wednesday.

A cordon was placed around the property from the junction with Whittaker Road and sections of both Brookside Avenue and neighbouring Rubens Close were closed off.

The man they arrested was bailed.

However, this evening, they have been pictured back at the property.

CoventryLive have tried contacting West Midlands Police for comment on today's activity at the property but have had no such luck in getting a comment.

Coventry man arrested on terror charges after 'bomb' search



A man has been arrested on suspicion of committing terrorism offences.

Eight homes were evacuated on 24 April while an army bomb disposal team searched a property on Brookside Avenue, Coventry.

The 20-year-old, who lived at the address, had been held by West Midlands Police under the Explosives Act but was released while inquiries continued.

The force said the arrest followed the examination of electronic items and documents which had been seized.

The man is being held on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, police said.

The Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal carried out a controlled disposal of a substance on scrap land.

Ch Supt Mike O'Hara said: "I would like to thank local people for their co-operation during the searches and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

"This is a complex inquiry that remains subject of a thorough investigation."

Coventry man charged with terrorism offence appears in court

A man from Coventry who was charged with a terrorism offence has today appeared in court.

Chez Copeland, 20, was arrested last week and on Tuesday, charged with a number of offences.

He today appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court.

Copeland, from Brookside Avenue, Whoberley, is accused of having notes - relating to explosives - that were likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He is also accused of two offences under the Explosives Act, as well as possessing a stun gun.

Mum of autistic Coventry terror suspect fears he will die in notorious prison

The mum of a Coventry terror suspect fears he will die in prison unless he is protected 24 hours a day.

Kim Copeland says she has not spoken to her autistic son Chez since he was arrested and charged with a terrorism offence.

Chez Copeland was arrested after police and the bomb squad swooped on a home in Brookside Avenue, Whoberley, in April.

He is accused of having notes relating to explosives that were likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He is also accused of two offences under the Explosives Act, as well as possessing a stun gun.

Copeland is currently remanded at London's high-security Belmarsh prison ahead of an appearance at the Central Criminal Court - also known as the Old Bailey - on June 8.

And his mum, Kim, is scared that something could happen to him in prison before that date.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: "Chez is not going to survive at Belmarsh unless they protect him 24 hours a day.

"I'm worried he is going to be harmed or worse.

"He can't read people. He can't make eye contact.

"I fear for his life."

Man who 'experimented' with explosives cleared of terror charges

A man with autism who set off experimental explosions in his garden has been cleared of terrorism offences.

Chez Copeland, 22, has spent almost two years on remand in maximum security prisons after an explosion in Coventry.

Homes had to be evacuated after unstable explosives were found at Copeland's family home in Brookside Avenue on 24 April 2018.

At Birmingham Crown Court, he admitted owning a stun gun and acquiring an explosive without a certificate.

Judge Mark Wall sentenced Copeland to 22 months' imprisonment - time which he has already spent on remand - and he was released.

The court heard Copeland had an "obsessive interest" in the military and had dreamed of joining the armed forces but his ambition was thwarted by his autism.

Judge Wall accepted he had "not intended to use HMTD [the explosive] in a criminal way" but had acquired it "because he had a curiosity to see what he could do with it".

He formally found Copeland not guilty of the terrorism and Explosive Substances Act offences after prosecutors offered no evidence following a Supreme Court ruling that "experimentation" was capable of being a lawful defence.

Copeland's defence, Paul Bogan QC, said the blasts had posed "no real risk of injury" and likened the explosions to those "from a damp firework".

His mother, Kim, said the case against her son had been "ridiculous" and that his life had been "turned upside down" by the terrorism allegations.

"They didn't have to create the circus that they have created and treat us like criminals," she said.