John Howard Amundsen (born 1966) was the first

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

er to be charged under national anti-terrorist laws in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. These charges were later dropped.

Background

Amundsen has no children and lived with his mother in their Aspley home prior to his arrest. He was a teacher at

Ferny Grove State High School Ferny Grove State High School is a public secondary school in the suburb of Ferny Grove, in Brisbane, Australia. The school has a total enrolment of more than 1900 students, with an official count of 1963 students in 2021. In 2007, the school ...

and taught the subjects of

manual arts Industrial arts is an educational program that features the fabrication of objects in wood or metal using a variety of hand, power, or machine tools. Industrial Arts are commonly referred to as Technology Education. It may include small engine rep ...

, media and business. He had a previous career as a spokesman for

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is the primary international airport serving Brisbane and South East Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, in total amounting to more than 22.7 million passeng ...

. After being assessed by a

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

, he was found to have

autism spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental disorder, neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) ...

. A report stated he often retreated into fantasy worlds, had trouble thinking rationally, lacked

social skills A social skill is any competence facilitating interaction and communication with others where social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning these skills is called social ...

, and needed

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

to assist his issues with

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...

and depression.

Criminal charges

2006 terrorism charges

Amundsen gained notoriety in May 2006, after a stockpile of

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

and

detonator A detonator, frequently a blasting cap, is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the last two being the most common. The commercial use of explosives uses electri ...

s were found in his home which caused the school he worked at to be evacuated and searched. On 10 May 2006, the school was closed for most of the morning as

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

with

sniffer dogs A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most used by ...

checked classrooms, before they declared it safe for students and staff to resume lessons. In a Brisbane court on 11 May 2006, he was charged with fraudulently obtaining 53 kg of the explosive substance Powergel. He was subsequently charged with preparing a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

act, as well as two counts of making a threat and making a

hoax A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...

threat. Amundsen was held at the

Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre is a high security Remand Centre for males, primarily accommodating individuals who a Judge or Magistrate has ordered must be held in custody as they await, and during, trial. The centre is located on the Ipswi ...

Wacol Wacol is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wacol had a population of 3,761 people. Geography Wacol is bounded to the west by the Brisbane River and to the north loosely by Wolston Creek. It is south-west of t ...

. In February 2007, the charges of terrorism and making a hoax threat were dropped but replaced with new charges of possessing

incendiary device Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...

s and having dangerous goods in a vehicle. In February 2008, he was jailed for six years for offences surrounding a plot to scare the parents of his ex-girlfriend so that he would win back their daughter. He pleaded guilty to making threats and possession of dangerous goods and weapons. Taking into account the 22 months spent in pre-sentence custody, Amundsen was released on

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

in May 2009.

2010 stalking allegations

In February 2010, Amundsen was charged with

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The ter ...

after the alleged victim found a

GPS tracking device A GPS tracking unit, geotracking unit, satellite tracking unit, or simply tracker is a GPS device, navigation device normally on a vehicle, Asset management, asset, person or GPS animal tracking, animal that uses satellite navigation to deter ...

on her car. The alleged victim was the sister of the same ex-girlfriend Amundsen had attempted to win back with his 2006 bomb scare. Police were convinced Amundsen was responsible.

2014 stalking conviction

In 2014, Amundsen was found guilty of unlawful stalking of his former partner stemming back to 2011. While pretending to be someone else, he had called, emailed and sent friend requests to her on social media. Amundsen represented himself in court and pleaded not guilty. Amundsen was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail, but with time served his parole eligibility was set at 1 March 2015. He received a five-year

restraining order A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and personal protection or ...

from his victim and her daughters. Amundsen told

jurors A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England duri ...

that they had "failed a good, decent,

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

man" after they handed down the guilty verdict. Amundsen believed the case against him was a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

plot.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amundsen, John Howard 1966 births Living people People from Brisbane Australian Christians Prisoners and detainees of Queensland Australian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of the Commonwealth of Australia People imprisoned on charges of terrorism 21st-century Australian criminals People convicted of stalking