A Kooweerup drug user who exploded a pipe bomb under a car over a $1700 debt has been jailed for eight months.
Liam King, a 29-year-old ice and GHB user, believed a woman owed him money, and texted her that “things are going to get worse” if she didn’t repay.
King visited Kmart in August 2016, buying a number of supplies to make an improvised explosive device (IED).
He then made a bomb from a metal pipe and smokeless powder and attached it to a five-litre fuel can with duct tape.
The entire device was hidden inside a black duffel bag, which King put under the rear of the woman’s brother’s car on the Mornington Peninsula.
A loud bang was heard as the IED partially exploded, causing “negligible” damage to the vehicle.
King at first denied any knowledge of the explosion and police waited for DNA evidence before they were able to charge him.
County Court Judge Julie Condon said the IED could have caused considerable damage or even death.
“Given the placement of the pipe bomb under the car in a suburban street, it was fortunate there was no injuries to any persons in the immediate vicinity,” she said.
“It was a device that had the potential to cause serious harm.”
Judge Condon said the offence arose from “animosity” and an aim to “send a message” about the debt via the woman’s brother.
King, who has completed an anger management course, was also placed on a 12-month community corrections order.
