A 60-year-old drug dealer who rigged his home with tripwires and pipe bombs, drawing inspiration from the film Home Alone, faces seven years behind bars.
Ian Claughton fortified his residence in Grimethorpe, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, to safeguard his illegal drug operations from intruders. In May 2024, authorities searching properties linked to Claughton and his ex-wife prompted the evacuation of over 100 nearby homes. Officers uncovered multiple traps, a homemade flamethrower, substantial amounts of cannabis and amphetamines, plus cash.
Sentencing Details
Sheffield Crown Court Judge Graham Reeds sentenced Claughton to seven years in prison. His ex-wife, Lesley Claughton, received a 21-month suspended sentence for two years.
Home Alone Inspiration
Prosecutor Helen Chapman told jurors during the October trial opening: “If you are sitting there thinking that this sounds a little like the film Home Alone, then you would be correct. In fact, that is precisely what Ian Claughton said he was aiming for when he told the police about these devices.”
Devices and Discoveries
Entering one heavily secured house, police spotted a fishing wire stretched at knee height across a room, connected to an electrical device and battery pack. Claughton claimed the explosives were repurposed crow-scarers—typically used by farmers—packed into plastic pipes or a paint bag.
Additional traps included banger fireworks sealed in piping with wires and coiled springs. A stun gun hid behind a fridge-freezer, while a workshop concealed a homemade flamethrower. Properties also yielded two high-powered air guns, a crossbow, £27,000 stitched into a sofa, and cannabis plants growing in two houses, some in tents within hidden rooms.
A warning note inside one property alerted that “everything was booby trapped.”
Arrest Trigger
Investigators intercepted a package of imitation firearms from China, addressed to Lesley Claughton via her eBay account but ordered by Ian. Heathrow Airport officials discovered five small silver-and-black folding revolvers.
Charges and Convictions
Ian Claughton pleaded guilty to importing a realistic imitation firearm, cannabis production involvement, and two counts of possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply. A Doncaster Crown Court trial convicted him of three prohibited firearm possessions, criminal property possession, and explosive substances.
Lesley Claughton, 59, was convicted of importing a realistic imitation firearm, possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply, criminal property possession, and cannabis production involvement.
