Our Canadian friends appear to be a lot more forgiving of "boys experimentation" than we would be in Australia.
If a pipe bomb was found in your luggage here, I can assure you the following will happen, VERY rapidly.
1. You
wouldn't be boarding your flight.
2. You
would be escorted to an interview room where some nice police would start grilling you about how this device came into your possession and exactly what you had in mind for it.
They would advise you that constructing explosive devices under Australian law without an explosives permit, is viewed an an extremely serious criminal offence, and advise you of the serious penalties involved (up to
10 years in the slammer and
$150K financial penalty).
3. You
would be arrested and given a free ride in a cosy prisoner transport vehicle to a nearby police station, where you would be formally interviewed in a recorded interview, and then charged with constructing an illegal explosive device.
You would be obliged to remove your belt, shoes and other personal items and then be transported to a cell.
You would then be allowed to make a minimal number of phone calls to family and friends, and a lawyer to get legal advice. If you don't know any lawyers, a duty lawyer would be appointed to you.
According to the seriousness and level of the offence/s or charge/s, you might have to spend a night in the holding cells, before appearing before a magistrate the following morning.
The magistrate would decide whether you stay in a proper jail until all evidence is gathered and your charges are heard in a full criminal court hearing, or whether you can be let out on bail.
You would need to find someone to post bail, or supply a guarantee yourself for the bail amount, and sign a form guaranteeing you will appear for your charge/s to be heard.
When your appointed charge/s hearing day appears, you would be obliged to front a magistrate or judge on that day, and listen to the police prosecutor provide evidence as to the offence of constructing an illegal explosive device, against the current sections of the Federal or State law statutes.
You would be able to choose to give evidence, or decline to give evidence, in your defence.
The magistrate or judge will weigh up the circumstances surrounding your experimental foolishness, and the minimum penalty you will receive will be a hefty financial one - and if you're out of luck, you may also be given a jail sentence - or if your luck holds, a suspended jail sentence instead.
The bottom line is - if you feel like playing around with home-made explosives and pipe bombs - there's not just the risk of losing a limb, an eye, or even killing yourself - there's the risk that your experimentation will almost certainly lead to a criminal record that will be a blight on your future employment opportunities, and the general perception that you're not real smart at making important personal choices.
