An Adelaide man who sparked an urgent emergency response two days before Christmas will walk free from jail in just two weeks.<\/p>\n
On December 23, Tristan Atkins was discovered slumped in his car with the engine running in Clovelly Park, about 7km south of the city centre.<\/p>\n
Concerned witnesses alerted the police, but what began as a routine welfare check turned sinister when two handmade explosive devices were also found in the car.<\/p>\n
The incident caused particular alarm having occurred just a matter of days after the Bondi Beach terror attack in Sydney.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old, of no fixed abode at the time, was arrested and charged with possessing supplies and taking steps to manufacture an explosive.<\/p>\n
At a previous hearing, Atkins pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced at South Australia\u2019s District Court on Monday.<\/p>\n
The court did not hear his precise justification for having the explosive devices but was told that his intentions were \u201cnot nefarious\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sentencing Atkins, Judge Nicolas Alexandrides said Atkins had provided \u201cinadequate\u201d explanation for possessing the explosives that \u201cdid not mitigate the risk or potential harm\u201d of owning them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was said you purchased items to make sparkler bombs and considered these similar to fireworks,\u201d Judge Alexandrides said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not appreciate the seriousness and risks they represented. <\/p>\n
\u201cYour items were in your car because you had recently collected them from a nearby premises you had been renting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The court was told that at the time, Atkins had been experiencing a difficult time and had been sleeping in his car.<\/p>\n
The incident prompted a heightened police presence in the residential area, including a bomb response unit.<\/p>\n
Judge Alexandrides said while the devices found would unlikely be capable of causing death, they did carry a risk of serious harm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it was unlikely it would cause death, it was capable of causing serious harm, such as loss of a hand or arm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He sentenced Atkins to 11 months and eight days imprisonment, of which he will be required to serve eight months.<\/p>\n
However, the sentenced was backdated to the day of the offence, meaning Atkins will be eligible for release in just two weeks. He has been in custody since the date of the incident.<\/p>\n