A North Shore carpenter who amassed a staggering collection of homemade bombs and weapons was undone after a pipe he bought at Bunnings was tracked by police.
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Marco Annecchini, 44, was arrested in St Ives on Wednesday afternoon and charged with 13 offences including possess, supply or make explosive for unlawful purpose and possess a prohibited weapon.
At his French's Forest home, police found two Tasers, three cross bows, an extendable baton, 10 knuckle dusters, star knives, a slingshot, a laser pointer, a blow gun, 7.9 grams of cannabis and dashcam footage that showed him detonating homemade pipe bombs on a road in the Ku-ring-Gai National Park at night.
The search of his home on Wednesday was considered so serious that the Counter-Terrorism Unit, explosives dogs, the Bomb Squad and Pol-Air were called in, prosecutor Adrian Walsh told Manly Local Court on Thursday.
"The bombs that were being made by the accused were getting progressively bigger as each bomb was being manufactured," Sergeant Walsh said.
Although Mr Annecchini appeared to detonate his bombs in bushland away from people, it showed a "flagrant disregard for the safety of the community", Sergeant Walsh said.
After he was refused bail, Mr Annecchini's lawyer Warwick Ward entered guilty pleas to all charges.
He argued that there was no malevolence involved and his client was "simply dumb".
"People are sometimes stupid. This is such a man," Mr Ward told the court. "He was simply being foolish but with no intention or desire to harm anyone."
Outside court, his father Antonio said his son "hasn't grown up yet."
"He's still a big kid," he said, shaking his head.
Fairfax Media understands that police were tipped off after Mr Annecchini bought a piece of galvanised pipe from Bunnings. It's understood he has since told authorities that he has a "fascination with firecrackers and explosives".
A four-hour search of his Jimada Avenue home, which he owns himself but shares with two other men, uncovered dashcam footage that was played in court on Thursday.
It showed Mr Annecchini leaving a pipe bomb in the middle of the road after dark, watching it explode then speeding off in his car.
He pleaded guilty to detonating four 20mm by 150mm galvanised pipe bombs on four separate nights in late November and early December in Kuring-Gai.
Magistrate Christopher Longley said there were no exceptional circumstances to warrant bail and there was a risk that he would commit further offences while on bail or not attend future court dates.
Mr Annecchini will return to court on December 21.
