By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Kooweerup man has been jailed for detonating a pipe-bomb under a car parked in a suburban driveway as part of recovering an alleged debt.
Liam King, 29, constructed the ‘improvised explosive device’ (IED) using a section of metal pipe, non-smoking powder, a five-litre fuel can and duct tape, Victorian County Court judge Julie Condon said during sentencing on 15 March.
The partially-detonated device was capable of killing people and severely damaging property, Judge Condon said.
“It was fortunate there were no injuries to anyone in the area.”
King hid the bomb in a black duffle-bag and placed it under the rear of a ute parked at a Mornington home on the evening of 11 August 2016.
It was intended to “send a message” to the ute-owner’s sister, who King claimed had owed him $1700.
About 7.40pm, the ute owner and the ex-partner he was visiting at the time heard a “loud bang” outside.
They discovered the IED had caused “low to negligible” damage to the ute’s rear.
King’s offending was calculated, targeted and pre-meditated, including him buying bomb components from Cranbourne Park K-mart nine days before the detonation.
At the time he was using “substantial” amounts of ice, GHB and Xanax.
Judge Condon noted that while police were processing the incident, King was sentenced at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in January 2017 for trafficking meth.
He was jailed for 12 months with a further year on a CCO that focused on treating his mental health.
During that prison stint, he was hospitalised and spent time in protective custody after being struck to the head with an object.
King had also been previously jailed for aggravated burglary and reckless conduct causing serious injury in 2013.
It had been noted by the County Court at the time that King’s offending was fueled by retribution.
King had attended drug-and-alcohol counselling in November but recently relapsed into GHB and ice use, the court heard.
He had however shown a genuine commitment to his rehabilitation, seeking out treatment and completing violence-intervention and anger-management programs, Judge Condon noted.
King’s offending was “too grave” to warrant a non-custodial sentence, she found.
King was jailed for eight months, followed by a 12-month supervised CCO including judicial monitoring, and drug and mental health treatment.
