Gary Bolton Jailed Over Fake Bomb Detectors

Gary Bolton sold the devices for up to £10,000 each



A businessman is sentenced to seven years in prison for making and selling fake bomb detectors.

Gary Bolton, 47, made millions of pounds selling the devices around the world, boasting they could detect explosives, drugs, ivory, tobacco and even money.
In actual fact they consisted of nothing more than empty boxes with handles and antennae which he made at home and at his Global Technology Ltd offices near Ashford, Kent.
A judge at the Old Bailey described the equipment as "useless" and "dross".
Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said tests proved the detectors, first called the Mole and later remarketed as the GT200, performed no better than random searches for explosives.
Bolton claimed they worked with a range of 700 metres at ground level and 2.5 miles (4km) in the air and said they were effective through lead-lined and metal walls, water, containers and earth.
But "double-blind" tests on a Mole device as far back as 2001 showed it had a successful detection rate of 9%.