Protestor denies gunpowder plot

Matthew Lloyd Starmore, 31, of Berthon Road, Little Mill, was arrested on October 30, 2009, after police found ammunition and gunpowder at the Newport guest house where he was living, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

They also found a notebook in Starmore’s room, which talked about the start of a nation-wide campaign which would see “the most dramatic and climactic and most hard-hitting series of events to hit Wales since World War Two.”

The book also talked about “shutting down some of the city’ most fundamental necessities, pulling emergency services and police tactile units from far and further afield,” and contained references to Newport’s Transporter Bridge, Father’s For Justice and reforms about how fathers get access to their children.

Starmore denies three counts of possessing explosives and ammunition including gunpowder, 24 rounds, and 108 bullet heads. He also denies dishonestly receiving these items knowing or believing they had been stolen.

Richard Griffiths, prosecuting, said police went to the Corporation Road guest house to arrest Starmore’s co-defendant David Hodge for dishonesty offences when they found the explosive material in Hodge’s room.

It had been stolen from the home of a licensed owner on September 29.

The jury heard Hodge admitted the charges on the basis he wanted to sell the material to make money.

In police interviews read out in court, Starmore denied being in possession of the gunpowder and ammunition.

He said they were found in a lane off Christchurch Road, Newport, and told Hodge to take them to the police.

The court heard Starmore told officers he was the Wales co-ordinator for Father’s For Justice and although he wanted to protest, he would act in a non-violent, legal way.

He admitted the words written in the notebook were his thoughts but said they were hypothetical and denied he wanted to escalate Father’s For Justice activities by using the bullets and ammunition.

Proceeding.