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Terrence Jupp

Age: 46

Sex: male

Date: 14 Aug 2002

Place: Newlands Battery, Foulness Island

Terrence Jupp was blown up whilst experimenting with explosives for the Ministry of Defence.

Two people were charged with gross negligence manslaughter but the charges against them were later dropped after a five-year investigation.

Terrence Jupp was a senior scientific officer for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and had been working for the Ministry of Defence testing explosives during which materials that he was testing exploded and killed him.

It was said that there had been no safety measures in place including no safety clothing.

He had been testing the explosives at a Ministry of Defence testing centre on Newlands Battery on Foulness Island in the Thames estuary near Shoeburyness during a joint Anglo-American counter-terrorism project. The tests were designed to learn about how chemicals could be mixed to cause explosions.

He had been pouring out chemicals into containers outside a building on the site when the mixture exploded in a ball of fire. His clothes were shredded and he suffered 85% burns. The windows of the building were all blown out. Terrence Jupp was taken to hospital but died six days later when his life support machine was switched off.

At his inquest, the court heard that because of the secret nature of the experiments only certain people had access to the risk assessment.

When the emergency services arrived, they were said to have been surprised to have found all the people there dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts. They said that when they asked what had happened they were told, 'It just blew up and covered him in battery acid'.


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