Gold Coast tradies gone bad: Bowie Sheng Papa, Jason Richard Lister, Mitchell Anthony Ralston
From torching a car, petty scraps and violent acts like threatening to punch a pregnant woman these are the crimes that sent Gold Coast tradies to court.
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FROM a fencer who torched his mother’s car to a painter who tried to choke a taxi driver who declined to take a fare at a discount, these are the times Gold Coast tradies have run into trouble with the law.
CONVICTION
Fake Abusive Texts
AN apprentice tradie who faked abusive text messages from her ex-partner to help win a custody battle pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court in August to fabricating evidence and two counts of making false declarations.
The woman, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, had a police protection notice in relation to domestic violence listed against her former partner.
Those records revealed four abusive messages had been sent from the apprentice’s phone to herself to look like they came from her ex-partner.
“C***, I will kill you,” the first message read.
Another message threatened to “end you” if the children were taken away.
“You are a shit mum and they are better off without you,” the third message read.
The fourth said: “Open your mouth and I will stomp it c***.”
The woman reported the “abuse” to Nerang police on October 8, 2018. She also provided two separate affidavits to police claiming the text messages were from her former partner.
Judge Catherine Muir sentenced her to 18 months’ prison with immediate parole.
Bowie Sheng Papa
A TRADIE with alleged bikie links pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court in September to eight charges after he chased a man along a Gold Coast beach waving a replica handgun, before fleeing on a motorcycle.
A security guard at the Surfers Paradise Mantra spotted Bowie Sheng Papa running down the Surfers Paradise beach wearing a motorbike helmet, white tracksuit and waving a handgun about 8am on August 13, a court heard.
He then fled on a motorbike.
Papa was found at Broadbeach by police with the help of council CCTV.
He was found with a zip-tied fake number plate reading CLIT 60 to a bike, a 40cm hunting knife wedged near the bike’s windshield and was carrying about $1078, which police believed was linked to drugs.
The gun was found to be a gel blaster.
Facing charges including dangerous conduct with a weapon, possession of a knife in a public place and possession of property the proceeds of crime, Papa was sentenced to two years probation, fined $300 and disqualified from driving for six months.
Jason Richard Lister
A FENCER who torched his mother’s car after it was used to rob and shoot the black sheep of a high-profile Gold Coast family will spend no more time in jail.
Jason Richard Lister took the car to Mt Tamborine, doused it in fuel and set fire to it after it had been used by friends during a robbery in July 2018.
He claims he only burnt the car in an attempt to distance himself from the shooting of Luke Tomlinson – the son of Owen, a well-known Gold Coast identity who brought the Gold Coast Blaze National Basketball League team to town.
Lister is not accused of being involved in the robbery.
Judge Nicole Kefford sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in prison with immediate parole.
Mitchell Anthony Ralston
A HIGH pressure cleaner and painter who tried to choke a taxi driver who declined to take a fare at a discount claimed he blacked out at the time.
The 36-year-old pleaded guilty at Southport Magistrates Court in September to serious assault of a person over the age of 60.
CCTV footage played to the court showed Ralston getting into the back of a cab and offering to pay $50 for a trip from Broadbeach to Reedy Creek costing $57.
Following a verbal altercation, the pair got into a tussle and fell to the ground.
When they got up, Ralston kicked out at the cab driver and the pair again tussled.
When they fell to the ground, Ralston had the cab driver in a headlock and squeezed.
Magistrate Grace Kahlert sentenced him to 12 months prison with immediate parole and ordered Ralston pay the cab driver $2000 in compensation.
Kai Lajunen
The tradie attacked a Bundall father after he approached Kai Lajunen and his brother Bodie about lurid gestures they were making at his 15-year-old daughter pleaded guilty.
In evidence, Mr Pirie said he drove to the house to ask the men why they were being so “unprofessional” toward his daughter and her friends, who were so terrified they had to leave the property.
In response, Bodie initially went back to work before his brother Kai came down out of the property and set on Mr Pirie, punching and “gangster slapping” him.
Bodie then also assaulted Mr Pirie before he was pushed over a pile of rubbish.
Magistrate Chris Callaghan found the brothers guilty, but conceded they had acted independently and it was not a two against one assault.
Kai was sentenced to nine months’ jail but released on immediate parole.
His brother Bodie Lajunen was handed a $750 fine and had no conviction recorded.
Both men were ordered to pay $1,500 each to Mr Pirie.
Scott Jason Burgess
A SPRAY painter threatened to punch a pregnant woman in the head during a frightening road rage incident on a busy Gold Coast road.
Burgess screamed at the woman: “I’m going to punch you in the head you f---ing sl--” after an incident on Olsen Ave, Southport about 4.30pm on October 16, 2019, a court was told.
He was angry because he thought the woman was preventing him from merging into another lane.
The 33-year-old made the threat again despite the woman telling him she was pregnant.
When she started to record the conversation, he grabbed her phone and tried to take it off her.
Magistrate Kerry Magee fined Burgess $1000.
Michael Andrew Morrison
FIVE Gold Coast women were terrified when a tradie left notes on their cars saying he was “watching them” and asking for their used underwear.
The extremely graphic notes left a magistrate disgusted and “outraged” when she read the contents.
The 56-year-old left the notes on parked cars of five women aged in their 20s in the Burleigh Waters area between March 31 and October 3, 2019.
“I have been watching you at hoe (sic) and in the shopping centre and I would love to slide my fingers up your dress …” one note began.
The remainder of the note and a majority of the contents of the other notes are too graphic to publish.
Morrison was sentenced to three months jail, to be wholly suspended for 12 months.
Michael Bradley Allen
A TRADIE was high on ice when he veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit a vehicle being driven by a teacher.
The court was told since the accident the teacher had been unable to return to work. He was left with multiple fractures, including to his leg, ankle and elbow.
Allen was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
Non Conviction
Andrew Ian Lane
A GOLD Coast tradie terrified concerned bystanders when he drove at four people, including a pregnant woman, at a shopping centre car park and tried to mow them down, a court heard.
Andrew Ian Lane had spent about five hours at a Pimpama pub in the lead up to the frightening 11pm incident on August 14.
Witnesses told police they saw the father drive a Mazda ute over witch’s hats and into a Hungry Jacks drive thru, rev his engine and yell: “Where’s my beer?”.
They watched as Lane drove over several Pimpama City Shopping Centre car park garden beds before they approached him to offer help before he started yelling and threatening to assault the witnesses.
As they walked away Lane intentionally drove at two people, including a pregnant woman, a court heard.
Police arrested Lane outside the service station about 30 minutes later.
He was sentenced to 18 months probation, disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $200. A conviction was not recorded.
Christopher Paul Watt
A SELF-EMPLOYED tradie who headbutted his neighbour in the face after an ongoing dispute over a visitor car park has been ordered to pay his victim compensation.
He was frustrated that a neighbour had parked his second car in the visitor car park for about 18 months, a court was told.
Watt tried to talk to his neighbour and the building manager about the limited parking spaces, but the neighbour ignored his pleas to move the car.
Watt was walking back to this Miami on May 28, 2020 when he saw the neighbour packing tools into his car that was in the visitor car park.
An argument broke out and Watt headbutted the victim in the face, a court heard.
He was fined $200 and ordered to pay the victim $250 compensation. A conviction was not recorded.
Originally published as Gold Coast tradies gone bad: Bowie Sheng Papa, Jason Richard Lister, Mitchell Anthony Ralston
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