A Wodonga man caught with drugs and improvised explosives at his home following a drive-by shooting said the devices weren't intended to be used.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Joshua Spittal on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a string of charges after ice, the two explosives, $1270 in cash and other items were found at his Wodonga home on September 22.
The Georgina Street property had had a bullet fired through a front window days earlier and when police spoke to Spittal, they felt he may have been holding back evidence.
The search found the items and led to the bomb squad being called in, with one of the devices having the potential to damage property and possibly seriously injure people.
Lawyer Sally Wilson said one of the devices was simply a pipe with sparklers inside with no way to detonate it, but it was still considered an explosive device by law.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"Somebody else made it," she said.
"It had been there for a long time.
"It had been at the bottom of a tool box, it wasn't intended to be used."
Ms Wilson said there was no plan or intent behind the device.
Spittal, she said, still didn't know why he had been targeted during the drive-bys and thought someone else was the intended target.
The 39-year-old also pleaded guilty to a string of disqualified and drug-driving offences after being pulled over by police in Wodonga multiple times.
He told police he was a drug addict who usually used ice about four times per week and occasionally injected it.
Spittal will be assessed for a community corrections order.
The case was adjourned for the assessment to be undertaken, which will be followed by sentencing.
