Bottle-bombers laughed as cleaner picked up bomb - witness

By David Clarkson

Three men seen leaving a dry-ice bottle bomb in the Christchurch Bus Exchange laughed when they saw a cleaner pick it up and carry it away, a teenage witness told a depositions hearing in the Christchurch District Court today.

One of the men told police he had been assured by a mate that the bombs could not hurt anybody and the Friday afternoon incident that shut central Christchurch was a prank gone wrong.

The 53-year-old cleaner, Brian Murray Chambers, said he had continuing hearing problems after the bomb went off in his hands that afternoon.

He told Margo McKay and Nick Atkins, Justices of the Peace, that he still had continued ringing in his ears and got headaches from bright lights such as fluorescent tubes.

Mr Chambers was giving evidence at the preliminary hearing against three men charged over the series of bombs made with dry-ice and soft-drink bottles left around Christchurch on August 17.

The three are charged with injuring with reckless disregard and setting man traps.

Before the court were Raymond Gary Coombs, 26, who travelled from Dunedin for today’s hearing, Damien Gary White, 24, unemployed, and Scott James Wreford Kelly, 25, unemployed.

At the end of the hearing they were all remanded to a pre-trial conference on March 14.

Prosecutor Kathy Bell said bombs had been set off at Northlands Mall, a service station in Papanui Road, a rubbish bin in the city, a planter box at the Palms Mall, and at the Bus Exchange that afternoon.

No-one was injured except at the Bus Exchange where Mr Chambers picked up what he thought was a supermarket plastic bag containing a partially filled bottle of soft drink. When he went to unscrew the top, he saw the material inside suddenly expand and it exploded within about five seconds.

He collapsed just outside his cleaning room, and was attended there by a doctor. His ears were ringing and his hand was cut.

A police witness said the Bus Exchange was evacuated and the nearby streets cordoned. The central city was shut down for about 90 minutes.

A teenage witness saw three men pour something into a bottle and leave the bag underneath a seat where the cleaner soon picked it up.

“As the cleaner turned and walked away, they started to laugh,” he said.

Detective Constable Nikora Jonathan gave evidence of executing a search warrant at a Linwood address and then taking a statement from Coombs, who acknowledged they had experimented with the bombs at an address in Barbadoes Street before the Friday afternoon bombings.

“Somebody I trusted told me noody could get hurt in relation to a dry ice explosion,” Coombs said. “I guess it was fun until that guy got hurt and then I realised the seriousness of what dry ice could do.”

At the end of hearing, all three men were committed for trial.