A 45-year-old Cardiff man has been sentenced to six months in prison at Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan magistrates’ court after pleading guilty to making a bomb hoax in Dover.

Carwyn Rees, a cleaner from Richmond Road, Roath, in South Glamorgan was travelling on a coach bound for Amsterdam when it reached Dover Eastern Docks on Saturday September 22 just after 10pm.

Rees approached a UK Border Force officer and claimed to have a bomb in his bag. He repeated this twice more when questioned and warned about the seriousness of his allegation.

Rees’ rucksack was searched, as was the coach he was travelling on, but nothing was found. In addition, no trace of explosives was found on Rees. After a significant delay the coach was allowed to continue on its journey but without Rees who was arrested by Kent Police officers on suspicion of making a bomb hoax.

Frontier Crime Unit Detective Constable, Matthew Whitlock, said: “This was a very serious crime that had the potential to cause great alarm and distress to many people.

“By the time the offender admitted he was “messing around” the damage had been done. We took action to ensure the safety of passengers and staff at the docks and the subsequent searches meant a long delay for those who were continuing their journey.

“We live with the threat of terrorism every day in this country so when someone claims to have a bomb it is not a trivial matter.

“The penalty given to Rees should act as a warning to others that bomb hoaxes are not merely pranks. The offender now has a criminal record which will have major repercussions in relation to getting or maintaining a job, getting a visa should he wish to travel to certain countries in the future and maybe even on his personal relationships.”