Man's 'disturbing' find on popular trail during morning walk
A man has made a “nasty” and “sick” find while walking on a popular trail in the NSW Hunter Region.
Paul Roberts was walking along the Marmong Point trail on Monday morning when he came across a number of corks with nails inside them.
“I came across these ... in three separate piles,” he wrote on Facebook alongside pictures of the disturbing booby traps.
“This is on a trail used by riders, runners, and hikers/walkers.”
He told the Newcastle Herald he had brushed the contraptions with his foot before he first noticed the corks.
“I moved them off the path, next to a tree. I kept going and then I saw another pile. Then I thought, this is a bit much here. obviously someone has gone to town with this. It seemed to have been quite intentional attempt to cause harm,” he said.
People commented on Facebook those responsible for the nails and corks were “oxygen thieves”.
“Oh, wow. I can’t believe someone would do something like that. So disappointed,” one woman wrote.
Another woman added: “There really are some sick people out there.”
“Nasty stuff Paul, don’t know what people think when they do this,” another said.
It’s not known what the intention is behind the the nail-covered corks, but there’s some suggestion by people they could be used to target motorbikes.
“I don't live far from here and you can hear them all through the night,” one woman wrote.
She added, however, that she did not find this approach acceptable as “it's beyond comprehension why would anyone want to do this”.
A man also suggested it was targeting motorbikes that ride through the trail.
“Regardless of the intended target, it’s very disturbing,” he said.
Mr Roberts claimed he reported the incident to police and Yahoo News Australia understands NSW Police are aware of the find.
The booby traps come after a similar targeted attack in Melbourne last year.
A $50,000 reward was being offered to find whoever was responsible for placing tacks on popular bike paths in Kew, in Melbourne’s inner northeast.
Police say hundreds of bicycle tyres had been punctured and some cyclists were seriously injured as a result.
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