Charles Alfred Pawney pleaded guilty to wilful damage, common assault
A forbidden romance between a glamorous Queensland jail guard and a convicted kidnapper led to her sacking. Now, the latest chapter in their relationship has landed him back in court.
Police & Courts
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A relationship between a former jail guard and a convicted torturer ex-prisoner has gone sour, less than two years after their then illicit romance was revealed by this publication.
The latest chapter in the scandal was revealed when Charles Alfred Pawney returned to the familiar surroundings of the Hervey Bay courthouse which heard details of an explosive bust up between the couple who also now share a child.
The proceedings on Tuesday were in stark contrast to November 2022 when Pawney and left court hand in hand with Katherine Fosdick who lost her job as a correctional services officer at Maryborough jail and was fined.
At that previous appearance it was revealed Ms Fosdick had been romantically involved with two former prisoners who were serving sentences in the community during her time as a guard at the Maryborough Correctional Centre.
Pawney, who had been jailed in 2019 for his role in the kidnapping and torture of a man over $30,000 in missing drugs, was being supervised by corrections as a condition of his release and subject to electronic monitoring.
His ankle monitor was tracked to Ms Fosdick’s home.
This time around however, Pawney faced court in relation to a violent attack on Ms Fosdick, with whom he now shares a young daughter.
Pawney pleaded guilty to contravention of a police protection notice, wilful damage, common assault, stealing and possession of a knife in a public place.
The court heard Pawney was prohibited from attending or remaining at the premises or approaching or contacting Ms Fosdick.
However, about 10.30pm on March 2, 2024, police received a call from Ms Fosdick saying Pawney was at her home and she was scared he was going to kill her.
Further calls were made to police regarding a loud disturbance with a male smashing property.
Police arrived and located Ms Fosdick who was visibly frightened and upset, the court heard.
She said she was sitting in her locked bedroom when she heard Pawney’s vehicle arrive.
He then entered the home and he began to kick the door of the bedroom before entering and then kicked an ensuite bathroom door down.
Police had observed that damage, including numerous large holes in the doors, the court as told.
After damaging the bedroom door and entering, Pawney had physically climbed on top of Ms Fosdick, pointed to her face and said “where is your phone you f***ing dog?”
Ms Fosdick screamed at Pawney to get off her, which he did, putting the ensuite door down before returning.
Ms Fosdick then ran outside and called the police and Pawney left before police arrived, the court was told.
About 12am on March 3, police received information that Pawney was parked near a relative of Ms Fosdick.
When police arrived, they found Pawney laying down in back seat of the vehicle.
Pawney was too intoxicated to take part in an interview when he was arrested, the court heard.
A search of the vehicle revealed a large knife, the court heard, as well as a laptop belonging to Ms Fosdick.
The offences had been committed while Pawney was on parole, the court heard.
The November 2022 court proceedings focusing on the early stages of the romance heard Fosdick and Pawney were seen at a chicken shop “displaying signs of physical affection, holding hands, touching each other as though they were in a relationship”.
The same day, the two drove to the Hervey Bay home where both were found on the sofa and detectives executed a search warrant.
Both their phones were seized and revealed photos of the two hugging and kissing as well as sexually explicit images including of Pawney using a sex aide.
Ms Fosdick had also previously been involved with another former prisoner, Matthew Robert Lyons.
She participated in an interview with police where she admitted to being in an intimate relationship with Pawney, telling officers they had “met on Tinder”.
Fosdick denied having known him when he was in custody at the jail and insisted they first met in person on a beach in September, 2022.
She said she’d seen his electronic ankle monitor but did not believe it was an offence to be with him as Pawney was no longer a prisoner at the jail, the court heard
Asked about Lyons, who was convicted by the Supreme Court on drug trafficking in 2018, Fosdick said she had been in an intimate relationship with him for about one and a half to two months while he was on parole, before she started dating Pawney.
At the time, Fosdick was fined $3000 and no convictions were recorded.
The court this week heard Pawney had spent time in custody ahead of being sentenced for his latest crimes.
Magistrate Stephen Guttridge gave Pawney a head sentence of six months in prison, wholly suspended for an operational period of two years.
He took into account that Pawney had been out of trouble since 2021.
In relation to possession of a knife Magistrate Guttridge fined Pawney $200.
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