Man jailed for planting 'bomb' over Palestine dispute
A man has been jailed after placing a half-filled jerry can with metal bolts and a cigarette lighter taped to it outside a property following a dispute over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
David Maurice Wise took issue with a blackboard placed outside his target's home expressing beliefs about the Gaza conflict with which he disagreed and bearing the country's flag.
In response, on January 4, 2024, Wise placed the jerry can on the man's vehicle parked outside his home, with a message stating, "Enough, take down the flag, one last chance".
Wise, who has spent the past two months in custody, was sentenced in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court to one year behind bars with a non-parole period of three months backdated to his arrest on March 7.
Wise previously pleaded guilty to charges including placing an article to create a false belief of danger and two counts of stalking or intimidation, as well as charges of using a carriage service to harass and trespassing.
In sentencing, Magistrate Megan Greenwood said there was a need to deter others from engaging in such acts over conflicts occurring overseas.
"Feelings continue to run high in our community about what is going on in that part of the world," Ms Greenwood said.
Wise's lawyer George Thomas argued his client is not a terrorist, as he claimed had been portrayed by some media outlets.
He said Wise had taken issue with what he believed to be false information on the chalkboard and Palestinian flag outside the victim's home.
He was attempting to get the victim to say Hamas was holding innocent hostages who should be released, which he would not concede, Mr Thomas said.
Mr Thomas told the court his client denies harbouring any anti-Muslim or anti-Palestinian sentiments.
"This was driven by a disagreement with an individual, not a group," Mr Thomas said.
He also argued the device was fashioned only to cause fear and would have required a significant amount of effort to ignite.
"Is someone seriously suggesting this would have blown up?" Mr Thomas said.
"It wasn't the most sophisticated device in the history of invention.
"It was a crude device. Not intended to actually cause harm, it was intended to cause fear."
The NSW Police bomb squad attended the scene to deal with the device and deemed it to be inert and of no significant threat.
Wise will be eligible for release from June.
