Bizarre reason Gold Coast Private Hospital cleaner made bomb hoax call to F45 gym

A Gold Coast Private Hospital cleaner has admitted to calling in a bomb hoax at an F45 gym which saw multiple businesses including a daycare centre evacuate. Find out why he did it.

A Gold Coast hospital janitor called in a fake bomb threat to a nearby F45 gym because the music was “too loud”, a court was told.

Matthew Gordon Croudace, 48, pleaded guilty at Southport District Court to one count of bomb hoax (falsely stating or informing a bomb is present).

At about 5.28pm on August 8, 2022 Croudace called the Nerang F45 gym alerting them to a bomb behind their building, prosector Paul Kaye told the court.

In a “soft, deep voice” Croudace told the fitness staff “I just want to let you know that there’s a bomb out the back”.

“[It] will go off in 15 minutes.”

Gold Coast Private Hospital cleaner Matthew Gordon Croudace pleaded guilty at Southport District Court to falsely calling in a bomb threat at an F45 gym. Picture: Amaani Siddeek

The staff member thanked Croudace and quickly hung up, evacuating 15 people and two staff members from the gym and alerting a neighbouring daycare centre and other nearby shops located within the small shopping centre, Mr Kaye said.

Emergency services arrived on scene and searched the area for half an hour before realising there was no bomb.

Police identified Croudace’s phone number and at about 6pm that day, arrived at his unit located just around the corner from the F45 gym.

Mr Kaye said: “[Croudace] told police that he had drunk two bottles of wine [and]

that ‘I rang and said there was a bloody bomb in the back of your place’. He just wanted to scare them. There was no bomb.

“He explained that he works as a cleaner at the Gold Coast Private Hospital and that the noise from the gym affects his sleep.”

Mr Croudace said he made the call so that the gym would turn off their music.

Croudace said the music played at the F45 gym was too loud and was affecting his sleep.

“It is objectively serious offending. It resulted in several businesses being evacuated including a daycare centre,” Mr Kaye added.

Briefly interrupting proceedings, Croudace stood up and said: “Your honour, I work really hard at my job and I don’t want to lose it. I’m really sorry for what happened, I think it’s a lot of BS to be honest.”

Croudace’s defence barrister Jack Kennedy said Croudace developed a “long standing issue” with alcohol addiction following a divorce 20 years ago, but was a “functioning alcoholic” who has maintained his job at GCPH for the past two years.

Croudace also has a criminal history dating back to 2017 for alcohol related offending the court was told.

However Mr Kennedy said Croudace came from a “good family, good education and good employment”.

Judge Rowan Jackson sentenced Croudace to two and a half years of probation. No conviction was recorded.