The “improvised explosive device” consisted of black powder in a five-inch pipe with two PVC caps on the ends.

Police immediately evacuated the Flanagan Street house and called in the bomb squad.

Todd Sturzaker, 22, claimed he had hit rock bottom when he made the bomb.

He pleaded guilty to the charge in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court along with possessing the cannabis, one gram of ice, 88g of a cutting agent called MSM and seroquel that police found in his parents’ home.

PVC piping and empty gel capsules were also found in his backpack.

Barrister Alison Vaughan called the device a “firecracker”, which did not have the required wick attached to set it off.

“There was a lot of drama around this event,” she said.

“I understand why police treated it with the seriousness they did, not knowing what else was in the house, not knowing the seriousness of the device.”

A police forensic scientist described the bomb as an IED “capable of causing injury to people”.

The police bomb squad used its robot to remove the bomb from the house and conduct a controlled explosion in the backyard.

Magistrate Stella Stuthridge said making bombs was so serious, the community expected offenders to go to jail.

“No one in the community wants young men, who are affected by drugs, putting together IEDs,” she said.

“Gone are the days when sitting at home creating sparklers is funny – it’s not.”

But Ms Stuthridge deferred sentencing Sturzaker for six months to “test his mettle” and allow him to prove he would continue drug counselling.

Ms Vaughan said Sturzaker had completed drug rehabilitation at Odyssey House since his arrest and provided clean drug screens.

“There is a shift in his attitude and behaviour towards the police,” she said.

“Any immediate imprisonment would take him 10 steps backwards.”