Man faces court after two Brisbane sieges

Cheryl Goodenough | May 19, 2022

A 42-year-old man accused of having “commercial grade detonators” after two sieges in Brisbane says the explosives he had were ingredients to make “tiny firecrackers”.

Adam William Cheal applied for bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday after his arrest on Tuesday evening.

But the application was adjourned as magistrate Belinda Merrin said she wanted evidence like photographs or video footage from police.

Officers were initially called to a Wooloowin home, after a visitor found explosives about 1.30pm on Tuesday, police said earlier.

The bomb squad searched the home before police declared a public safety preservation act and roped off surrounding streets.

Investigators tracked Cheal to a car in Coorparoo, cordoning off that area until officers arrested him without incident.

Bomb squad officers also safely detonated the explosives found in the Wooloowin home.

Duty lawyer Hellen Shilton told the court the major police operation that evolved was “not specifically as a result of his (Cheal’s) actions or any threat his actions posed to police”.

She said Cheal had been asked to move out of the unit where he lived with his partner Jake and family members but given some time to do so. However, shortly before the incident two men demanded he leave immediately.

“So whereas he thought he had time, suddenly he was confronted by immediate removal,” she said.

Cheal felt he had no option but to leave after his partner’s family loaded his possessions in his car, Ms Shilton added.

“He was feeling so overborne by grief at the separation that he decided to end his life.”

Ms Shilton said Cheal told her he took some prescription medication but fell asleep with a tape recorder – “to record some dying words” – attached to his collar.

“The next thing he remembers is police calling his name. He came to and eventually got out of the car.”

Police said officers found documents “falsely attributed to various government agencies” as well as two knives and replica weapons in the car.

Ms Shilton told the court that because of the items police believed Cheal might have had something strapped on his chest “which turned out to be nothing”.

She said Cheal claimed what police found at the unit was material to make “tiny firecrackers”.

“Because you can’t buy them he gets the ingredients in small amounts and makes little firecrackers and sets them off at various occasions,” she added.

Cheal also claimed there were cardboard cylinders to make the crackers in a container, while he believes the weapon police referred to was a gel blaster.

“He does accept that he had a stun gun and he acquired that as a result of some previous incident where he was in fear of his life,” Ms Shilton added.

Ms Merrin said Cheal’s instructions to the duty lawyer were “quite different” from a police document referring to officers finding “commercial grade detonators”.

“If what he was making was little firecrackers for his own enjoyment, well that’s one thing, but what is described in the objection to bail affidavit seems inconsistent with that,” Ms Merrin added.

Prosecutor Eddie Fraser opposed bail arguing Cheal should stay in custody for his protection as well as that of the general public.

The Capalaba man faces charges including manufacturing and possessing an explosive without authority, unlawfully possessing weapons, assault, carrying an exposed weapon in a public place and impersonating a police officer.

The bail application has been adjourned until Monday.

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