Andrew James Marks in court for assault and public nuisance

A slaughterman, who caused a scene at a shopping centre after being denied entry to a bottle shop, has been sentenced.

A trip to a bottle shop has resulted in an order to complete 100 hours community service for Andrew James Marks.

Bundaberg Magistrates Court heard the Biloela man had been at Maryborough’s Station Square shopping centre on June 18, 2021, when he was denied service at a bottle shop.

When Marks refused to leave the bottle shop, security was called and Marks swore at security guards who arrived on the scene.

At first, an agreement had been made that Marks would take a taxi and leave, but that plan came undone when the taxi driver refused to take Marks.

The court heard that Marks had been pushed to the ground by security and began to shape up to them.

A security guard placed an arm on Marks’s shoulder, before he spat in the guard’s face.

It was further heard Marks received a gash to the face that required stitches as a result of the security guard’s “retribution” for the spitting offence.

Magistrate Edwina Rowan said denunciation and deterrence loomed large in sentencing a case where spitting was involved, saying the guard would have suffered “significant distress”.

“What is an aggravating feature is that you spat at the security guard …,” she said.

“You yourself are a father … and you could well imagine the grief that that would cause someone if they weren't able to kiss their children as a result of waiting on disease test results for a period of time.

“It is common knowledge that those disease tests can go on for some time and that would certainly present some anxiety …”

The court heard Marks had been suffering mental health issues at the time and had since been taking care of his health, attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and had been steadily employed as a slaughterman.

It was noted that he had entered an early plea of guilty and had not been before the courts in some time.

Marks was sentenced to an order where he must complete 100 hours of unpaid community service in a 12-month period after pleading guilty to one count of common assault in a public place while affected by an intoxicating substance.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance, and for that charge was handed a $400 fine, deferred to SPER.

Convictions were recorded.