Man who detonated explosive device in police presence jailed
A man who put a Gosport community in danger when he detonated an explosive device as police officers came to arrest him has been locked up for over four years.
Police attended an address in Carr Court, Davenport Close, shortly before 10am on August 28 last year to arrest 54-year-old Damian Mazurkiewicz for an unrelated matter.
Officers entered the address, where they found Mazurkiewicz holding an imitation firearm. As Mazurkiewicz was challenged by officers, he pressed a trigger switch he had in his hand, resulting in a burst of black smoke being released from a black box attached to his body.
Officers deployed a taser before removing Mazurkiewicz from the address along with the lowexplosive device. Residents were evacuated from their homes while the Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team (EOD) attended to make the device safe.
Mazurkiewicz, of
Davenport Close in Gosport, was subsequently charged with doing an act with intent to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or damage property, and possession of an imitation firearm.
He initially denied the offences and the case went to trial at Winchester Crown Court on February 21.
However, he then pleaded guilty to doing an act with intent to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or damage property, and use of an imitation firearm to resist arrest on the first day of the trial.
Mazurkiewicz was remanded in custody to appear at Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday. At the hearing, he was sentenced for the offences in addition to two counts of breaching a restraining order. He was jailed for four years and three months, with an additional extended licence period of three years. Inspector Sam Warne said: “This incident had a significant impact and caused disruption within our local community over a bank holiday during the summer holidays where, working with partners, we needed to evacuate many households in the area and provide support, advice and shelter for displaced residents.”
Damian Mazurkiewicz was jailed for more than four years