Hoaxer jailed over bomb threat that terrified bus driver and passengers

Just days after finishing an earlier prison sentence for stealing flowers from City Road Cemetery to sell in Sheffield pubs, Dandar Akyar got on the bus in Spital Hill and claimed to have a bomb in his bag – which in fact contained cowboy hats and flowers.

But the hoax left the driver and his passengers terrified, and armed police were called.

At Sheffield Crown Court, the jury took less than 25 minutes to find Akyar guilty of communicating false information about a bomb hoax.

The court was told the 47-year-old boarded the bus carrying a large black bin bag which made the driver suspicious. When he asked what was in the bag Akyar replied: "It's a bomb."

The driver asked if he was being serious and Akyar replied: "Yes, I'm going to blow the bus up."

Bus driver Thomalee Mandindo told the court Akyar got on the bus at 5.50am with the bin bag.

"I asked him to confirm what he was carrying and he said to me he was carrying a bomb," said Mr Mandindo. "I said, are you serious or are you joking?

"He said, 'very serious. I'm going to blow your bus up'. It was very frightening."

Mr Mandindo turned off the engine and pressed an emergency button which alerted transport control.

At Ecclesfield Police Station, Akyar denied he had told the driver he was carrying a bomb.

Instead, he claimed he told the driver that he had been carrying flowers and cowboy hats – the true contents of his bag.

Chris Aspinall, defending, suggested Mr Mandindo may have misunderstood Akyar.

But passenger Richard Badlow, who was on his way to work as a security guard, told the court that although Akyar's accent did have "a bit of a twang" he clearly heard the threats.

He said: "He said he had a bomb and was going to blow the bus up. He wasn't laughing, he really meant it."

Before sentencing Akyar, of Batemoor Road, Batemoor, Judge Michael Murphy QC told him: "Anyone who thinks that bomb hoaxes are a bit of joke are seriously wrong."