A man accused of plotting to blow up a mosque in a suicide mission was living in a house in Thornton Heath for adults suffering with mental health which previously had been found ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission.

Steven Bishop, 40, has been charged with the preparation of a terrorist act and collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an  act of terrorism.

 Mr Bishop who denies the charges was arrested at his mother’s home in Morden but lives on Melfort Road, in a house of multiple occupancy, which when inspected in 2016 was called the St Edwards Rehabilitation Home and provided long stay care for people with mental health under the age of 65.

The inspection was so damning the CQC decided to cancel the homes registration and the evidence found should have meant the provider was no longer able to operate the service at this location. 

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Bishop (pictured)was arrested after his recovery worker contacted police on October 28 following a conversation in which he stated he planned to carry out a bombing attack on a mosque.

Prosecutor Simon Drew said: “He told her he was going to make a bomb and blow up a mosque in a suicide mission.

“He went on to tell her he bought Semtex and a detonator on the dark web.”

It is believed the plot was aimed at getting revenge for the death of Saffie Roussos, the youngest of the 22 killed in the IS bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017.

The prosecutor said the woman called police, who attended Bishop’s address in Melfort Road, Thornton Heath.

On October 29, the next day, they went back to Bishop’s address to arrest him but found he was at his mother’s address in Morden.

They arrested him there and also seized several pages of handwritten notes found in a drawer, which relate to the charge of collecting information likely to be useful for terrorism.

Bishop,  denied one count of preparing for an act of terrorism and one count of collecting a record of information likely to be useful for a person committing or preparing for an act of terrorism.

He will next appear on November 23.