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London - A 31-year-old British man who kept explosives in his flat and intended to launch massive attacks on civilian targets was jailed for 16 years today.

Martyn Gilleard, a fork-lift driver at a timber yard in East Yorkshire, northern England, was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court of preparing terrorist acts and collecting information for terrorism purposes.

During a child pornography raid last October, Police discovered in Gilleard's flat four nail bombs, bladed weapons, bullets, documents about terrorism and extreme right-wing literature, as well as some 39,000 indecent images of children, including films and photographs.

Gunpowder, ready-made fuses and a notebook containing hand-written expressions of extreme anti-Semitic views were also found.

During the six-day trial, Gilleard claimed he had made the nail bombs out of boredom after drinking beer and they were not intended for serious violence, but the judge believed he intended to cause havoc with the devices.