A Sydney man's quest to collect every element on the periodic table went wrong when he ordered plutonium samples online, triggering a major hazmat incident and potential jail time.
Emmanuel Lidden, 24, now faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to breaching Australia's nuclear non-proliferation laws. The former trainee train driver ordered radioactive materials from a U.S. science website and had them shipped to his parents' suburban Sydney unit, as reported by Yahoo News Australia.
His lawyer John Sutton told Sydney's Downing Centre District Court that Lidden was simply an "innocent collector" and "science nerd" whose hobby went too far. "He did not import or possess these items with any sinister intent… these were offences committed out of pure naivety," Sutton said. Before plutonium, Lidden collected stamps, banknotes, and coins.
Prosecutors pushed back against the "simple collector" narrative, arguing that such purchases create illegal markets. The incident triggerd a massive emergency response that Sutton called a "circus," involving border force officials, firefighters, police, and paramedics.
The case has already cost Lidden his railway career. Despite not being charged at the time, he disclosed the investigation to Sydney Trains and was fired. "The reward for his honesty was termination," Sutton told the court. Lidden now works at a fast-food restaurant flipping burgers while awaiting his April 11 sentencing.
"Rather than give him an opportunity to return the items, the kitchen sink was thrown at him, along with the utensils inside," Sutton said.
Previously:
• Watch this 12-yr-old boy eat Plutonium (9 Million Scoville) Mad Dog 357 hot sauce
• Meet Pluto-kun, the world's cutest plutonium mascot
• What has a marshmallow-shaped lump of plutonium, rock-vaporizing lasers for eyes, and is headed for Mars?
