Australian extortionist used hoax neck bomb hoax’

The police chief in charge of investigating a possible bomb threat to the daughter of a millionaire in Australia has said that the incident was a “very, very elaborate hoax”.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Aug 2011, 07:00 BST

New South Wales state Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said the device attached to the next of 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver was quite sophisticated and had been designed to look like a bomb.

A masked man broke into the home of her wealthy family, fixed the device to her neck and left a note of demands as part of an elaborate extortion attempt, local police said yesterday.

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Ms Pulver was freed after bomb squad specialists spent 10 harrowing hours trying to remove it.

Although she was not hurt, she was taken to hospital in Sydney for observation.

Officers later said the device contained no explosives.

“We are treating this as an attempted extortion – a very serious attempted extortion,” said Mr Moore.

Wednesday’s drama unfolded in the upmarket suburb of Mosman after Miss Pulver’s family contacted police saying their daughter had been attacked.

Her father, William Pulver, is a successful businessman who serves as the CEO of an information technology company.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she was shocked when she heard about the case.