Two men have been convicted after suspicious packages were placed across Tyldesley.
Before Liverpool Crown Court, Trevor Shawcross (09/03/1958), of Green Lane, Hindley Green was found guilty of 19 counts of making explosive devices.
Neil Harper (26/03/1963), of James Street, Tyldesley was found guilty of 21 counts of possessing explosive devices.
They are due to be sentenced on 6 July 2010.
Shortly before 9.45am on 29 November 2009, police were called to Lidl on Tyldesley Road, Tyldesley, following the discovery of a suspicious package.
Officers attended and discovered a device, described as a 'modified commercial firework' packaged in a bin liner outside the fire exit. The explosive device was made safe by bomb disposal experts.
The incident forced the supermarket to close for several hours.
While officers were dealing with the incident police were called following the discovery of a second device on a fence on a footpath off West Bank Street.
Again, bomb disposal experts attended and carried out a controlled explosion.
Over the coming hours a number of other devices were discovered at the following locations:
- At 9.11pm that day a suspicious package was found on the car park of the Focus DIY store.
- Shortly before 9.30am on Monday 30 November 2009, officers arrested Harper at his home on James Street. Two suspicious packages were found in his living room.
- At the same time officers were alerted to the discovery of a device next to a telecommunications junction box on West Bank Street. A fuse on the device was scorched and it is thought it had been lit but failed to function.
- On Tuesday 1 December 2009, devices were in found in a Volkswagen Passat belonging to Harper, in Harpers kitchen (five in total), under a staircase in Harper's house, in a cupboard outside Harper's house, in the glove box of a Ford Fiesta belonging to Harper.
In total 21 devices were recovered. Bomb disposal experts attended all scenes and made all devices safe.
UPDATE: Pictures of the packages can be found [HERE].
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