A MAN accused of plotting to black out London and the southeast of England told an Old Bailey jury yesterday the bombs he is accused of making were harmless hoaxes packed with icing sugar and not explosives.
Mr Gerard Hanratty (38) said the IRA did not want to "alienate" public opinion by causing huge explosions during the delicate peace process.
Mr Hanratty who is accused of plotting to blow up six substations around London, said bomb disposal officers would have to shut down the electricity supply while they dealt with the dummy devices.
From the witness box he demonstrated how packs of icing sugar were used instead of Semtex so as to fool the sophisticated Xray equipment used by bomb disposal officers.
On the second day of his evidence Mr Hanratty told the jury, the IRA wanted to make a fool of the so called "ring of steel" by closing down the capital's power source without setting foot in the City of London.
"If the IRA were capable of closing down all the electricity around London without going into it, it makes the ring of steel null and void," he said.
Mr Hanratty was one of eight men were arrested in dawn raids in south London and Birmingham on July 15th, 1996 after a surveillance operation by British police.
Mr Hanratty, from West Road, Dublin, and seven codefendants deny conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life or property between January 1st and July 16th last year.
The other men are Mr Donald Gannon (34), of St Joseph's Place, Dublin; Mr Martin Murphy (38), of Kerryheel Gardens, Belfast; Mr Patrick Martin (35), from Twinbrook, Dunmarry, Belfast; Mr Robert Morrow (37), of Wolfe Tone Terrace, Dundalk; Mr Francis Rafferty (45), of Norglen Parade, Anderstown, Belfast and former US marine Mr John Crawley (39), with an address in Dublin.
Mr Clive Brampton (36), from Birmingham, described as a `helper' to his seven codefendants, denies the same conspiracy charge. The trial continues.