Investment banker admits chaining a fake bomb to young woman's neck in extortion bid



Paul Douglas Peters broke into Sydney mansion wearing ski mask and wielding a baseball bat

He tethered a bomb-like device around the neck of 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver, demanding money



Banker pleads guilty in a Sydney courtroom







An Australian investment banker has admitted chaining a fake bomb to a young woman's neck in a terrifying attempt to extort money.

Madeleine Pulver was studying alone at her family's mansion in a wealthy Sydney suburb when Paul Douglas Peters broke in wearing a ski mask and wielding a baseball bat.

He tethered a bomb-like device around the 18-year-old's neck and left a note at the scene demanding money before fleeing.

Guilty: Paul Douglas Peters - pictured left as he is escorted from a courthouse at an earlier hearing in the U.S. - admitted the extortion attempt

It took bomb squad experts more than 10 hours to remove the device but no explosives were found and Miss Pulver was unharmed.

Through his lawyer in Sydney courtroom, Peters today pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated break and enter and committing a serious indictable offence by knowingly detaining the teenager.

The court heard that the note Peters left during the incident on August last year contained an email address, as well as a demand for money.

New South Wales state police revealed that surveillance footage showed Peters in several locations where they believe he accessed the email account.

Peters, who traveled frequently between the United States and Australia on business, fled to the U.S. and was arrested at his former wife's home in Louisville, Kentucky, almost two weeks after the crime.

He was extradited in September to Australia, where he has remained in custody.

Victim: Madeleine Pulver graduated from high school since the attack

Peters appeared in court by video from prison Thursday. He showed no reaction when his lawyer Kathy Crittenden entered the guilty plea.

She said after the court appearance: 'Mr Peters deeply regrets and is profoundly sorry for the impact that this incident has had on Ms Pulver and her family.'



Ms Crittenden declined to comment further.

Why Peters targeted Miss Pulver is unclear. U.S. federal court documents show Peters once worked for a company with links to her family, but the Pulvers have repeatedly said they don't know him.

Miss Pulver, who has graduated from high school since the attack, and her parents were in court to hear the plea.

Her father, Bill, thanked police, prosecutors and members of the public for their support, and said the attack remains as mysterious and as 'random to us in our minds as it did back on August 3'.

Mr Pulver added: 'There was no - nothing other than just the fact of Maddie was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

'A poor decision by one man has prompted a truly extraordinary and inspiring response from many thousands of people and we will be forever grateful.'

Mr Pulver was once the president and CEO of NetRankings, a pioneer in tracking online exposure and readership for companies advertising on the Internet.

He left after the firm was sold to ratings giant Nielsen in 2007. He is now CEO of Appen Butler Hill, a company that provides language and voice-recognition software and services.