Drug dealer inspired by Home Alone rigged house with booby-traps

A drug dealer who rigged his house with booby-traps after being inspired by the Christmas classic Home Alone has been jailed for seven years.

Ian Claughton used tripwires and home-made pipe bombs to protect his drugs business from would-be intruders.

Around 100 homes in Grimethorpe, a former pit village in South Yorkshire, had to be evacuated in May 2024 as police searched three neighbouring houses connected to Claughton and his ex-wife.

They found a series of traps as well as a home-made flamethrower, large quantities of cannabis, amphetamines and cash.

Mr Claughton was jailed for seven years at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday by Judge Graham Reeds, who said he was "a drug dealer who used these weapons to protect [his] cannabis growing operation".

His ex-wife, Lesley Claughton, was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Opening the trial to jurors last October, prosecutor Helen Chapman said: "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."

Police found a fishing wire running across the length of one of the rooms at knee height, attached to an electrical connector and a battery pack.

Ian Claughton told police the explosives were crow-scarers, used by farmers, which he had inserted into plastic piping and, in one instance, into a bag of paint.

A stun gun was found behind a fridge-freezer, and a homemade flame-thrower was discovered in a workshop.

Other weapons found at the properties included two high-powered air guns and a crossbow.

A large amount of cash was also discovered, including £27,000 sewn into a sofa.

Cannabis plants were found growing in two of the houses, including some in tents in hidden rooms.

The Home Alone fan was caught when Border Force found a package of imitation firearms addressed to his ex-wife at Heathrow Airport.

The five small silver-and-black folding five-shot revolvers had been ordered by Ian Claughton using Lesley Claughton's eBay account, the court heard.

Ian Claughton, 60, pleaded guilty to bringing a realistic imitation firearm into the country, being concerned in the production of cannabis and two counts of possession with intent to supply class B drugs.

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He was convicted of three counts of possessing prohibited firearms, possession of criminal property and possession of explosive substances after a trial at Doncaster Crown Court.

He was cleared of a firearms charge relating to a stun gun.

Lesley Claughton, 59, was found guilty of bringing a realistic imitation firearm into the country, possessing class B drugs with intent to supply, possession of criminal property and being concerned in production of cannabis.

Detective Superintendent Al Burns, of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, said Claughton "appears to have developed a siege mentality that saw him go to unusual and elaborate lengths to defend his home and its illicit contents from would-be intruders, drawing inspiration from Macaulay Culkin's character in the popular Christmas film Home Alone".

(c) Sky News 2026: Drug dealer inspired by Home Alone rigged house with booby-traps