LONDON – A man who forced the closure of central London’s main shopping district for five hours after telling police he had a bomb was jailed for two years on Friday. Detectives said they hoped the sentence handed out to Malcolm Tripp, 46, at London’s Southwark Crown Court would serve as a warning to other would-be hoaxers. Tripp broke into an Accessorize store in Regent Street shortly after midnight on Jan. 13. Officers were sent to the scene in response to the security alarm, and Tripp told them he had an explosive device.
The surrounding area was sealed off and buildings were evacuated until Tripp, who had no bomb, eventually gave himself up. He pleaded guilty to making a bomb hoax and criminal damage a few days later. “Tripp effectively shut down an extremely busy part of central London for over five hours, as well as taking up the time of many officers who were unable to deal with real policing incidents during this period,” said Det. Sgt. Matt Fields. “This sentencing is reflective of the impact this incident had on the area and highlights the fact that we take any type of hoax extremely seriously.”
