Some people collect stamps. Others collect rare coins. But one Australian man had a much riskier hobby—collecting elements from the periodic table, including radioactive ones.
Emmanuel Lidden, a 24-year-old from Sydney, wanted to own as many chemical elements as possible.
That included plutonium, a highly radioactive substance used in nuclear weapons and reactors, reports Tag24.
His unusual collection came to an abrupt end in August 2023 when authorities discovered a package containing plutonium addressed to his parents' home.
The discovery triggered a massive emergency response. Firefighters, police, paramedics, and Australian Border Force officers rushed to secure the dangerous material.
The shipment had come from a U.S.-based science website, which sold elements to collectors and researchers.
Lidden now faces serious legal trouble. He has already pleaded guilty to violating Australia's nuclear non-proliferation laws, which strictly regulate the possession and import of radioactive substances.
If convicted, he could spend up to 10 years in prison. Judge Leonie Flannery is set to announce his sentence on April 11.
His lawyer, John Sutton, argues that Lidden is not a criminal but a science enthusiast who acted out of curiosity.
"He didn’t have any harmful intent," Sutton told the court. "This was a mistake made out of naivety, not malice."
Prosecutors, however, see the case differently. They argue that importing radioactive material, even in small amounts, creates a dangerous market.
They claim such actions could encourage others to seek out and trade hazardous substances, increasing security risks.
While Lidden’s collection may have started as an innocent scientific interest, it quickly crossed into illegal territory.
The case has sparked debate about how hobbyists should handle potentially dangerous materials and where the law should draw the line between curiosity and crime.
Now, Lidden awaits his fate, knowing that his passion for chemistry may cost him years behind bars.
