A pair of Australian men are each facing multiple charges, accused of creating a golf-ball bomb which injured a 15-year-old boy in 2013.
Glen Dell, 44, and Mark Tear, 39, have pleaded not guilty to charges of causing grievous bodily harm but have admitted guilt to a number of other charges related to the creation and transportation of the device, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company.
Michael Boggan found the bomb on a street in Leichhardt, west of Brisbane, when he picked it up. He noticed the golf ball had white powder on it, leading him to believe he'd found illegal drugs. One of Boggan's friends inspected the ball, too, and said it was a bomb. They tasted the power and came to the conclusion that it was an explosive device. When Boggan then picked up the ball, it exploded. The hollowed-out ball had ball bearings and the explosive chemical triacetone triperoxide (TATP) inside.
Dell and Tear are also accused of making other devices with TATP, a store of which authorities found in the backyard of a local home. Tear injured himself in an explosion while playing with a device in the kitchen of the home. He initially told paramedics that he was injured in a gas can explosion, but his injuries were inconsistent with that type of incident. Other golf balls, party poppers and children's cap guns were also found.
The trial is ongoing.
