A Brazilian asylum seeker who triggered a terrorism alert by placing a hoax explosive device outside MI5 headquarters on New Year’s Day will be sentenced at the Old Bailey after magistrates ruled the case too serious for their jurisdiction.
Julian Valente Pereira, 32, forced emergency services to divert resources from policing London’s New Year celebrations when he propped a fake bomb against Thames House doors alongside a cigarette lighter and stuffed 30 pages of documents detailing “psychological torture” through the entrance.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring transferred the case to Crown Court on Wednesday, indicating an 18-month prison sentence would be appropriate despite being told Pereira suffers from schizophrenia, PTSD, anxiety and depression.
“The reality is, it was New Year’s Day, and officers had to divert resources. This is bound to have a significant impact on policing generally,” the magistrate stated, noting the deliberate targeting of the intelligence service headquarters demonstrated “real gravitas” and “real prospect for harm.”
CCTV footage captured Pereira initially throwing a brown cylindrical object with an apparent fuse onto the pavement outside the central London building before repositioning it against the MI5 doors. The security camera operator was able to zoom in sufficiently to identify what appeared to be explosive materials.
The 32-year-old staged his protest just one day after a judge rejected his asylum appeal on 31 December 2025, following an initial refusal in 2023. His Home Office-funded accommodation was subsequently withdrawn on 9 January.
Prosecutor Nia King told an earlier hearing Pereira had admitted harbouring “grievances with the Home Office,” stating he “hates them completely” regarding the asylum system and his treatment. “He acted on this, we say, by leaving a fake bomb outside an important building containing many people,” she added.
The Crown opposed bail, warning: “There is a risk his actions may become more ambitious and dangerous, putting others at a high risk of harm.” Prosecutors noted Pereira claimed he “hears voices in his head and is unable to control himself.”
Defence solicitor Jack Ward revealed his client had resided in Britain since 2018, initially arriving as an overstayer before surrendering to police in October 2020 and subsequently claiming asylum. Pereira had secured full-time employment at Hatton Gardens where he worked Monday to Friday for 18 months whilst residing in an Uxbridge asylum hotel.
Mr Ward insisted Pereira was “adamant” nobody would believe the device genuine, though the Brazilian denied the bomb hoax charge before conviction.
Chief Magistrate Goldspring acknowledged mental health issues represented the only mitigating factor, telling Pereira: “You made me doubt myself, which is rare.”
