Zoe Watts: Ex-PCSO who 'hoarded' weapons and made explosives jailed

Zoe Watts, who ran her own survivalist channel on YouTube, admitted making an improvised explosive device and weapons charges at a previous court hearing

A police worker who ran a survivalist YouTube channel and "hoarded" banned weapons and explosive substances has been jailed for 27 months.

Zoe Ashley Watts - a former PCSO - also made an improvised explosive device at her home in St Helen's Avenue, Lincoln.

Police found a stun gun, butterfly knives and an illegal electric fly-swatter during a raid in October 2020.

Sentencing her at Lincoln Crown Court, Judge John Pini QC said he accepted Watts had "no malicious intent".

Prosecutor Andy Peet said the 35-year-old made the explosive device out of a modified shotgun cartridge, which Watts told police "can be used as a firecracker and could be used to blow up a lock like in the movies".

A butterfly knife, homemade explosive and a mobile stun gun were among items found

A copy of the Anarchist Cookbook - a bomb-making instruction manual - was found on the floor, as well as a homemade wick she produced from a tampon.

Police also found a modified fly swatter able to discharge noxious substances and a wooden sawn-off gun used as "a prop", he said.

Dangerous substances - including nitroglycerine, potassium nitrate and nitrocellulose - were found in a cupboard shelving area, Mr Peet added.

He said one substance was "used as a party trick to cause sparkles in the air".

"She sets fires to things, causes explosions... her sole intention was to experiment for survivalist purposes," he said.

"She is by nature a survivalist. She would go into the woods and make these videos."

Watts had been a PCSO in Lincolnshire for eight years

The court heard Watts "was of good character" having been a PCSO with Lincolnshire Police for eight years, which she was "very proud of", her defence barrister Nicholas Fooks said.

"Although she's done some YouTube videos, she's not a political activist," said Mr Fooks.

Judge Pini told her: "I accept that you had no malicious intent to cause deliberate harm to anybody or to damage property.

"That said, the item [improvised explosive device] which you made was inherently dangerous."

Watt's home was raided on 4 October after customs officers intercepted packages containing two butterfly knives a month before.

A bomb disposal team was called in and nearby homes were evacuated, with local residents unable to return for several hours.

Watts admitted making an improvised explosive device (IED) and five other weapons charges at a previous hearing in May.