Eric Owen Johnston sentenced after Ford Ranger set on fire, owner threatened with axe

A Qld man was living “rent free” on a friend’s property when he went wild while drunk, setting fire to a ute and making frightening threats.

Eric Owen Johnston was sentenced in Mackay District Court on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 after he set fire to a green Ford Ranger parked in a Strathdickie carport. Photo: Contributed

A man has pleaded guilty to setting his friend’s Ford Ranger on fire while threatening to “poke holes” in him with a knife and watch him “bleed out” during a drunken episode.

Eric Owen Johnston's sentence was handed down in the Mackay District court on Wednesday, June 11 for one count of arson and another count of assaulting a person 60-years-old or above on August 14, 2024.

The court heard Mr Johnston had been living rent free in a shed at Stephen Banks’ Strathdickie property when he approached the house “heavily intoxicated” wielding an axe and golf club.

A woman had been living with her two sons at the home at the time.

Mr Banks arrived to see Mr Johnston wielding a knife and threatening to “poke holes” in him while slurring his words when one of the sons managed to retrieve the knife and hide it from him.

After also making threats to burn Mr Banks’ ute, Crown Prosecutor Monique Sheppard said Mr Johnston hit the ute with a golf club before lighting it on fire to watch it burn.

The ute had cost Mr Banks’ $2500 plus around $8000 to $10,000 in upgrades before it was totally written off in the blaze.

“Fortunately, the car was insured, but that loss of course is shared amongst the community by increases in insurance premiums,” Judge Allen KC said.

Defence lawyer Kellie Mythen from 31 Sturt Chambers told the court her client quickly tried to rectify his actions with an attempt to extinguish the flames and help pull the flaming ute out of the car port.

“Reflection of the demonstration of his remorse indicates that he realised very quickly what he had done, and he attempted to rectify it,” she said.

The court also heard Mr Johnston had a limited criminal history and had been employed most of his adult life.

He had been living at the property for a period of four to five months after his life derailed when he lost his job and “alcoholism took over which resulted in him being homeless and living in a tent on the riverbank” following the death of his father.

Judge Allen KC sentenced him to six months for assault and two and a half years for arson, both concurrent with each other.

Mr Johnston was released on parole having already served 301 days in custody.

“I expect the fact that being held in prison for 10 months would have been something of a wakeup call for you,” he said.

Originally published as Eric Owen Johnston sentenced after Ford Ranger set on fire, owner threatened with axe