'Dangerous' man who 'researched' explosives after Manchester Arena bombing caused blast at family home

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A 'dangerous' man who 'researched' explosives after the Manchester Arena bombing caused a blast at his family home from a laboratory filled with chemicals. 'Obsessed' Matthew Haydon suffered injuries to his chest and hands in the blast at the house in the Bedfordshire village of Sharnbrook on April 10 last year.

Haydon, 48, later admitted to police his longstanding interest in weaponry and how he once asked to throw a grenade on BBC children's show Jim'll Fix It - hosted by serial sexual abuser Jimmy Savile. READ MORE Jailed, the Manchester business leaders who 'lied on a prolific scale' to move £13.7m to British Virgin Islands During his trial, jurors heard how Haydon said he had been 'researching' explosives after being affected by what had happened at an Ariana Grande concert - in an apparent reference to the Manchester Arena suicide bombing in 2017.

After the blast, police searched his home laboratory and seized chemicals, equipment, electronic devices and handwritten notes, jurors heard.

On his laptop were instructions for explosives, and there was evidence that he had bought chemicals online, the court was told.