Nikolai Sheslow sentenced over unprovoked road rage attacks in Townsville

A Townsville man repeatedly rammed a mother’s car after she picked up her daughter from a nightclub who “couldn’t breathe” and was “crying hysterically” during the horror attack.

A mother and her daughter were left traumatised after a man “used his vehicle as a weapon” to repeatedly ram their car in an unprovoked road rage attack in Townsville.

A court heard how in the “wee-hours” of December 4, 2021, Jennifer Dylan picked up her daughter Mary from a nightclub and was travelling along Gregory St, North Ward, when their car was approached by Townsville man Nikolai Sheslow’s vehicle.

Police prosecutor Mark Fenlon said Sheslow, 49, started beeping his horn and flashing his hi-beams before hitting the rear of the women’s vehicle.

Thinking it was an accident, the women pulled over and got out to call police, at which time Sheslow hit their vehicle again.

“They’ve then sped off, he’s tail-gated them, and then there’s a further incident when he drove the vehicle into them again,” Mr Fenlon said.

A Townsville man was jailed for two shocking road rage incidents.

The prosecutor described another incident on September 29, 2021, when Sheslow drove in a dangerous manner near a tow truck, tail-gating, flashing his hi-beams, breaking erratically, and crossing onto the wrong side of Fulham Rd to drive straight at it.

The 27-year-old tow truck driver got out of his vehicle holding a crowbar, which he used to smash the rear panel of Sheslow’s Landcruiser.

Sheslow drove straight at the man, who jumped for cover and was struck in the right leg by the bull bar, but was not injured.

A downcast Sheslow appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Wednesday, pleading guilty to two charges of dangerous operation of a vehicle and a single count of obstructing a police officer.

Defence lawyer Andrew Maxwell tendered a letter from a registered psychiatrist outlining how Sheslow was being treated for several mental conditions including post traumatic stress disorder.

It explained why he collected a disability pension after previously working as a construction manager.

He described the offending as only happening over a short period of time.

To help his client get the help he needed, he called for a supervised sentence in the community.

Mr Fenlon said the “incredibly serious matters” were aggravated by Sheslow reoffending just 19 days after receiving a 12 month suspended jail sentence for an assault occasioning bodily harm.

Reading Mary Dylan’s victim impact statement, he said, “I felt like I couldn’t breathe, the whole incident triggered my anxiety ... I was crying hysterically .. I now see cars and it stresses me out that it will happen again”.

Magistrate Peter Smid was “puzzled” about the tragic case where the three victims had done nothing and Sheslow acted “completely irrational”.

He believed Sheslow was lucky not to be jailed for the previous assault occasioning bodily harm, and hadn’t been deterred by the suspended jail sentence hanging over his head.

The magistrate activated the 12 month suspended sentence, and added an additional 2.5 years imprisonment for these charges.

A parole eligibility date was set for June 11, 2023 and Sheslow’s licence was disqualified for 24 months.

Originally published as Nikolai Sheslow sentenced over unprovoked road rage attacks in Townsville