A UK drug dealer who admitted he was inspired by the 1990 film Home Alone to booby-trap his property has been sentenced to seven years in prison after police uncovered a flamethrower, pipe bombs, and tripwires across three linked homes.
Ian Claughton, 60, was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court on February 10, 2026, following a trial held at Doncaster Crown Court in November 2025. His ex-wife, Lesley Claughton, 59, received a 21-month sentence suspended for two years.
Prosecutors told jurors the case bore striking similarities to the Macaulay Culkin film Home Alone, where a child rigs his house with traps to fend off burglars. In court, it was revealed Claughton openly admitted he drew inspiration from the movie when setting up devices to protect his drug operation.
Police discover booby traps in drug dealer’s facility
Inside the properties on Brierley Road in Grimethorpe, Barnsley, officers discovered an array of homemade weapons. These included a flamethrower built from a fire extinguisher filled with petrol with a candle taped to the side, pipe bombs made from crow-scarer fireworks sealed inside plastic piping, and fishing wire tripwires stretched at knee height and connected to batteries and electrical connectors.
Some of the tripwires were linked to air horns designed to alert him to intruders. Police also found evidence he planned to rig a bag of paint to “mark” anyone entering the property. Additional weapons included high-powered air guns and a crossbow.
The operation came to light after UK Border Force at Heathrow intercepted a package from China on May 8, 2024. The parcel contained five silver-and-black folding “switch gun” imitation revolvers addressed to Lesley Claughton’s home.
A subsequent raid led to roughly 100 homes being evacuated and a 100-metre cordon being put in place for three days while Army bomb disposal experts and the National Crime Agency secured the scene.
Alongside the weapons, police uncovered a cannabis-growing setup with 24 plants hidden in secret rooms, 1.5kg of amphetamine, and £27,000 in cash stitched inside a sofa. Officers also found amphetamine stored inside a Maltesers box in a fridge and snack bags hidden in a bread bin.
The total drug enterprise was estimated at £62,000.
Claughton was convicted of possessing prohibited firearms, possession of explosive substances, drug production, and possession of criminal property.
Detective Superintendent Al Burns of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit said Claughton had developed an “extreme siege mentality” and had gone to elaborate lengths to defend his home and its illicit contents.
Handwritten signs at the entrance to his workshop warned intruders to “get measured up for your coffin” and falsely claimed the gates were electrified to 50,000 volts.
