It is a tale written many years ago, a man chasing monsters finds himself hunting windmills instead across the land. It is a tale known to many and yet no one these days would think that a windmill is a monster right? What about a building?
Are those monsters too? Could the strange happenings one summer day in England be a rehashing of a very old tale?
Weird Mind
It isn’t easy to ever know what someone was thinking when they do something but it is always fun to imagine it. You can envision the entire scenario in your head as it plays out on the stage of your mind. An adventure in and of itself, an epic tale of action, intrigue, mystery….
Crikey
So when someone blew up a civil servants house in Manchester dressed up like Crocodile Dundee only a few things really come to mind. Was he Australian? Did he not like the queen? Did he mutter the words “Call that an explosion? That’s an explosion”? If he didn’t, can we hope that he did? What really happened in Manchester that night?
Be Our Guest
On a weekend mid-afternoon, much like any other weekend really in the quiet suburbs of England, a costume party had taken up a location for the evening. At a friends home of a local fireworks businessman, many had been invited to partake in the revelry that was a weekend.
Pregaming
Before the evening began, Mark Sciavo partook in what many of us have done before going out. While picking out his outfit for the evening he started to drink prior to the party. Either to get into the mood or perhaps to be kind to his hosts and not drink all of their alcohol by himself.
We Fighting
Whatever the case may be, as Mark began to embrace the spirit of Mick Dundee, one knife, and crocodile hunting story at a time, the alcohol in his system started to take whatever was in his head that night to a bit of an extreme. His mind began to craft and assemble ideas
Assemble Time
While drunk in the middle of the day, Mark crafted a makeshift explosive out of fireworks and placed it inside of a sweet tin. During the week Mark was the owner of a fireworks company which not only gave him access to black powder but also some experience and knowledge in assembling explosives.
Its a gift
As he walked casually to the party in the broad daylight, he happened upon the home of Geoffrey Rennie and strolled up to the guest house. Placing the bomb on the front entrance to the home, he ignited it and strolled away. A passerby on the street who heard the explosion approached the area to see what had happened.
Where we going
Made curious by the man walking away from the scene dressed in costume they followed to do their own personal investigation. While they had no legal recourse to stop the man, one of the clever individuals stopped Mark and asked him for directions, all while secretly filming him in the meantime to give to authorities.
Video says everything
When the police arrived at the scene the secret vigilantes handed over their video footage to the police so that they could identify the man who caused the explosion. It wasn’t too difficult to do however as this wasn’t the first time that Mr. Sciavo had gotten himself into some trouble with the law.
Kaboom?
About 10 years prior he had been arrested for the possession of 23 tonnes of unlicensed fireworks which had been stored in such an unsafe and improper method that the investigators at the time expressed fears of an explosion cascading through the storage unit as a result.
Weird Laws
Thankfully, that fear never came to pass however one might also ask the investigators and local agencies why a man with a prior conviction for illegally owning and storing fireworks was given permission and legal authority to open his own fireworks company in which he sold and made the party enhancers.
New Car!
As police assessed the damage done to the home, the door having been blown off and the smoldering wreckage of the car in the driveway, investigators found what appeared to be a large knife hidden in the bushes. It is believed that as Mr. Sciavo escaped he threw the knife away, which would have been part of his costume.
For The Cake
Why a man would bring a large hunting knife to a party is still unknown, though perhaps we just don’t know what the format of the costume party he was attending actually was. In any case, fearing a repeat of the incident a decade ago, police carefully combed through Mr. Sciavo’s home expecting to find more explosive devices
For A Party
Inside authorities discovered 180 boxes of fireworks stored in and around his home which they believe could have been easily made into another explosive device. Further investigation of his home revealed 43000 quid worth of Russian valium, and 1420 counterfeit 20 quid notes.
The Glove Doesn’t Fit
Once in custody, it was clear that his lawyer wasn’t entirely sure where they should begin with attempts to defend their client. While in front of a judge his lawyers argued that he had been injured in 2013 following an accident with his own fireworks. Though how exactly that was meant to give reason is unclear.
Prank Game
He then further elaborated that this was just a strange and odd prank as clearly my client was dressed in a bizarre manner and not actually out to hurt anyone. He then goes on to clarify that he wasn’t using the word prank to disregard anyone or the severity of the event, just simply that his client was drunk and not thinking.
Punishment Time
Mark was given 3 and a half years of jail time being found guilty of causing an explosion likely to endanger life, possession of a bladed article in a public place, possession of drugs with intent to supply, possession of counterfeit currency, and possession of ammunition.
Why Here
The one piece of the puzzle that still eluded prosecutors was why the home of Mr. Rennie. Over the course of the investigation, the police were unable to find any link between the two individuals and even when asked Mr. Scaivo replied that he wasn’t even from around the area and didn’t know who he was. Just was looking for some fun.
Nightmare Man
Mr. Rennie has since taken time off of work to be with his family, who had been terrified of the event. Despite him not being home, his wife and two of his children were in the main house and are now living in fear that they were targeted and this is something that might happen to them again. For Mr. Scaivo it was just a Saturday night, but they will always remember this day in fear and terror.
Last Statement
Before he was taken away by the authorities and sent to the jail the judge left Mr. Scaivo with a few parting thoughts. ‘It’s not the physical damage and financial cost you caused to the family but the terror you induced in this innocent family. It was simply a misfortune that you happened to select their address – but they will continue to fear that you did target them.’
