Woman's generosity sparks bomb scare

Updated November 5 2012 - 12:44pm, first published November 10 2005 - 12:59pm

ARARAT police have revealed that the suspect car at the centre of a bomb scare was donated to them to sell in an act of selfless generosity.
The female owner of the vehicle yesterday apologised after bringing Ararat to a standstill through her unusual act of benevolence.
Businesses and homes were evacuated, VCE exams relocated and traffic diverted during Wednesday's 10-hour scare which began when an unregistered car with wires sticking out from the dashboard was found parked outside the Ararat Police Station.
Police said the local woman was devastated at the reaction to her gift and would not face any charges.
The unregistered Toyota Celica faces extensive repairs before being offered for sale after the bomb disposal robot picked it apart and smashed three windows during its detailed search.
The examination found no suspicious devices in the car.
The car's owner said she did not intend any harm but wanted the Ararat community to benefit from the vehicle's sale.
Senior Detective Guy Menhennitt, from Ararat Police, yesterday called the car's donation an "unusual act of philanthropy executed in the most unusual circumstances".
He would not elaborate on the contents of the curious note received at the police station, which made reference to the car.
"The owner of the vehicle wishes to extend her sincere apologies to the emergency services, businesses and communities affected by the incident," Sen Det Menhennitt said.
"She stated that she did not intend any harm or panic but had intended for the community to benefit by the donation of a vehicle and is sorry for the misunderstanding.
"Police found it hard to understand why someone would donate a vehicle free-of-charge and there were certain characteristics about the car which added to their suspicions."
Sen Det Menhennitt denied police had overreacted and said officers were right to regard the vehicle as suspicious.
"The community should be comforted to know that had the situation been more sinister, police dealt with it by the book every step of the way," he said.
"I commend the police, State Emergency Service, and the Ararat Rural City Council who all worked together efficiently and effectively, showing that Ararat is prepared to deal with a situation of this magnitude."
Incident controller Superintendent Albert Wright also supported the police's actions.
"I had a look at the car afterwards and there was a small wire coming from the dashboard capped with a small tube. I can understand why it would have looked like a detonator in the dark," Supt Wright said.
Meanwhile, Ararat Mayor Paul Hooper said he was delighted with the way the city's emergency plan worked.
"As mayor, it gives me great confidence to see the plan working so well," Cr Hooper said.
"I appreciate that the scare inconvenienced many people but public safety has to be our number one priority."

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Ballarat news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.