A High Wycombe pensioner claimed to have viewed indecent image of children months before a bomb attack on an immigration detention centre, an inquest has heard. 

Andrew Leak, 66, threw incendiary devices at the immigration processing centre at Western Jet Foil in Dover, Kent on October 30, 2022 before taking his own life as police hunted for him.

Leak was found dead eight minutes after the attack in the car park of a nearby BP petrol station.

The 66-year-old had suffered deteriorating mental health over several years due to drug and alcohol addiction, with things spiralling further after the unexpected death of his son several months prior to the attack.

An inquest into his death on Tuesday, April 9, heard how months before the attack, Leak had been the subject of an eight-hour stand-off with Thames Valley Police after he called to say he was going to kill himself in a graveyard in Oxfordshire.

The retired labourer was taken into custody following the cry for help, but no evidence of illegal material was found on his electronic devices, the Daily Mail reports.

The court heard how Leak had moved to High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, to be close to his sister following his cancer diagnosis and after the unexpected death of his son.

Despite his cries for help, he was discharged by the local mental health team in March 2020.

The newspaper reports that in a statement to Kent Police Anti-Terrorism unit read out an this week's inquest, his daughter claimed her father did not hold any political beliefs although he would make 'general comments' about immigration.

Previously the police have claimed Leak expressed racist views.

An inquest into Leak’s death was first opened at County Hall in Maidstone by coroner Bina Patel in 2022 but was adjourned.

Facebook posts on a now-deleted account under the name of an Andy Leak from High Wycombe contain anti-Muslim sentiments and complaints about people claiming benefits if they do not speak English.

One, shared on August 9, said: “The next time the job centre sanctions your money for not looking for enough work ask them about the thousands of people getting benefits cannot speak English and can not write English, how are they looking for work?

“Unemployment benefits clearly state you cannot claim benefits if not looking for work, all of these people should be excluded from benefits.

“You can clearly not look for work if you cannot read English or speak English, they are breaking the law, time to stand up.”