Bomb exploded in park 'for fun'

A second South West man has faced court for making a homemade bomb from items that can be easily bought.

Donnybrook man Shannon Charles Moore, 24, pleaded guilty in the Bunbury Magistrate’s Court on Monday to one count of making or possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances.

The incident is unrelated to Bunbury man Ben Mcdonald Roberts, 33, who has been accused of making the highly volatile explosive TATP.

Moore set off his homemade bomb in a Donnybrook park on October 29, at the same time police officers from Perth were sent to Bunbury to investigate the TATP scare.

The court was told Moore had taken a 44-gallon drum and filled it with oxyacetylene and lit it with a sparkler.

The bomb was set in Mitchell Park on Marmion Street and was ignited at 12.56am on October 29.

Police prosecutor Sgt Barry Phelps said the bomb exploded within seconds and it was heard and felt by residents 1km away.

Duty lawyer Jeanette De Klerk said Moore had seen an acquaintance use a similar bomb on a farm and decided “to do it for fun”.

She said Moore exploded the bomb in the early hours of the morning and “felt like” he was the only person who was in danger.

Sgt Phelps described the incident as “very stupid” and said it was “good luck rather than good management” that no one was injured.

Magistrate Elizabeth Hamilton accepted the prosecution’s submission that the incident was serious and did not sentence Moore on Monday.

Instead she asked for a written pre-sentence report to see if Moore was suitable for a pre-sentence order.

Moore will next appear in court on January 17.

Mr Roberts has yet to plead to seven charges, including five that allege he made or possessed an explosive in suspicious circumstances.

He will appear in court next Friday.