Man who planted car bomb jailed for 29 years

A man has been jailed for 29 years after making a pipe bomb and hiding it under a car.

Robert Kovcas, 29, was arrested after police found an explosive device under an Audi in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in August 2025.

Kovcas, of Tenby Road in Edgware, north-west London, was found guilty in March of attempted murder and making an explosive substance with intent, as well as acting with intent to cause an explosion.

Sentencing Kovacs at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Jonathan Mann KC said: "This was a pre-planned real attempt to kill someone using a bomb."

He added: "This was a device which you crafted it in such a way that it would explode."

Police had been called to reports of a suspicious object underneath the Audi, which was parked on a driveway, the court heard.

A significant number of nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution while specialist officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit examined the device.

Kovacs, who was known to the intended victim, was arrested two days later.

Hertfordshire Police said "an extensive and complex investigation" had taken place, led by detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.

Senior investigating officer Det Insp Caeva Taylor said: "This was a deliberate, targeted and extremely dangerous act that had the potential to cause serious harm or death.

"It was incredibly fortunate that the device was discovered before it detonated.

"I welcome the conviction and sentence handed down, which reflects the seriousness of these offences, and I hope that the intended victim and their family have some reassurance that he will remain in prison for a considerable period of time."

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.