Teen threw shrapnel bomb at Central Qld house

A teenage boy hurled a car-damaging improvised bomb full of shrapnel into a Qld yard while a birthday party was underway. He revealed his motive in a boasting Snapchat message.

A teenage boy has been sentenced for throwing an improvised bomb at another teen’s home.

The shocking reason a teenage boy made an improvised bomb full of shrapnel and threw it into the front yard of another teen’s home while she hosted a party has been revealed in court.

The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, fronted Rockhampton District Court charged one count each of making an explosive substance with intent to commit a crime, wilfully throwing an explosive substance which could have caused damage to property and stealing.

Crown prosecutor Tiana Lowry said the boy was 16 when he stole two packets of sparklers from a supermarket, stripped them and made a sparkler bomb full of shrapnel.

She said he then attended the 19-year-old victim’s house where she was celebrating a birthday with others just after 10pm.

Ms Lowry said the teen setting off the bomb in the front yard of the victim’s Central Queensland residence was captured on CCTV and he sprinted away.

“The device landed beside the front steps of the dwelling and exploded, propelling shrapnel across the front yard,” she said, adding that some of the shrapnel hit a vehicle which was parked in the yard and “struck the vehicle with such force that it scratched, dented and punctured the metal side panel of the vehicle.”

When police raided the boy’s home two days later, they found sparkler packaging, stripped sparklers and the same carbon dioxide canisters used in the bomb in his bedroom.

Ms Lowry said after arresting the boy a day later, Snapchat messages revealed he had boasted about the bomb to a family member, telling them the victim had arranged to have his house Molotov bombed.

She also said the victim had been unable to sleep since the attack.

Defence barrister Rachel Hew said her client was “significantly bullied” by the female that lived at that address and was the target of the bomb.

She said the victim and others had been bullying her client, and his family had noticed he had not wanted to leave the house much as a result.

Ms Hew said on the day of the bombing, her client had been drinking alcohol.

“He was immature and drunk at the time,” she said.

Judge Jeff Clarke said he did not think this was an act of immature and reckless behaviour.

“It was clearly planned, even if it was done while he was drunk,” he said.

Ms Hew said the victim’s father pursued her client while he was riding his bike, threatening to kill him, punching him and in the back of his head.

Judge Clarke said that was likely the father’s reaction to his daughter’s car being damaged.

The child pleaded guilty to all three charges, had no prior criminal record and had never been before the courts before.

He was placed on probation for six months and ordered to take part in Restorative Justice with the victim.

No convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Teen threw shrapnel bomb at Central Qld house