Hypnotherapist Benjamin Whitehouse jailed for four years for making explosive devices

A would-be mad bomber caught with instructions on how to make poison and other ways of killing people got his inspiration from a popular Netflix series, a court heard.

A hypnotherapist who was inspired by a true crime series to make explosive devices could have caused “serious injury” to people if he acted on his sinister plans, a court heard.

Benjamin John Whitehouse, 45, was jailed for over four years after police uncovered the disturbing weapons and documents on how to kill people.

During sentencing, the District Court heard police raided Whitehouse’s One Tree Hill granny flat in December 2019.

They located a sparkler bomb, several containers of sodium hydroxide, instructions on how to make weapons using a 3D printer and a 3D printer.

Police also found a sawn-off air rifle in the boot of his car and a plastic pipe containing ground sparkler material and where a fuse could be inserted.

A sparkler bomb police found. Picture: Courts SA

Benjamin Whitehouse was jailed for possessing explosive devices. Picture: Courts SA

The explosive device deconstructed. Picture: Courts SA

“The officer from the bomb response unit formed the view that serious injury would likely be caused to any person present within a few metres of that device if activated,” Judge Rauf Soulio said.

Whitehouse also had instructions on how to make poison and other means of killing people, as well as castor beans — a component in a type of poison — in his possession.

Whitehouse told police during an interview he developed an interest in explosives after watching the television series, Evil Genius – a true crime story which starts with the death of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck.

“You made comment about avoiding apprehension by purchasing ordinary materials from hardware stores that had been modified to explosive devices,” Judge Soulio said.

Whitehouse pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including possessing explosive devices and possessing instructions to make explosive devices.

The sawn-off rifle found in Whitehouse’s boot. Picture: Courts SA

Hilti Ramset located in the explosive device. Picture: Courts SA

The court heard Whitehouse was a heavy methamphetamine user at the time of the offending and had incurred a drug debt of $20,000.

The court heard Whitehouse, who used to operate a hypnotherapy practice, had previously been jailed for weapons offences and stealing from his parents.

Judge Soulio sentenced Whitehouse to four years and two months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

The sentence was backdated to October 1, 2020.