Luke John Phillips in court for unlawful wounding

One man was found hiding in bushland and another left wounded and covered in blood after a gathering in a Hervey Bay park turned violent.

A man was found hiding in bushland on the Fraser Coast after he slashed another man’s forehead using a Stanley knife, the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court was told.

A man was found hiding in bushland on the Fraser Coast after he slashed another man’s forehead using a Stanley knife, the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court was told.

Luke John Phillips, 34, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared before the court in November 2024.

According to court documents, Phillips was in a Torquay park with other people on March 14, 2024.

He asked others for alcohol, tobacco and money but when it was declined, he insulted a woman who was a friend of the victim.

According to the sentencing remarks of Judge Gary Long, the victim approached Phillips to tell him to stop abusing his friend.

“Concerningly, your response was to stand up and produce a retractable utility knife, or as it is referred to, a Stanley knife, from your pocket and to approach the complainant who was standing nearby,” Judge Long said.

A man was found hiding in bushland on the Fraser Coast after he slashed another man’s forehead using a Stanley knife, the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court was told.

“As the facts are described for the court, when the complainant saw the knife, he took hold of your arm to protect himself.

“You continued to hold the knife as a struggle between the two of you ensued and during the course of that, the knife cut the complainant’s forehead causing pain and blood to run down his face.

“He was later taken to the local hospital and it was identified that he had suffered a wound to his forehead approximately 3cm in length and .5cm in depth and exposing subcutaneous tissue.”

The victim needed three sutures and a tetanus booster after being cut, the court heard.

The victim needed three sutures and a tetanus booster in the wake of the incident, the court heard.

Phillips was found in nearby bushland about 30 minutes after the incident in an intoxicated state.

Judge Long said Phillips’ possession of the weapon was particularly concerning.

“In dealing with you, it is correctly pointed out that it is your production of this weapon, in the sense of the use of it, in the circumstances that arose in the park that night, which is of particular concern,” he said.

“That starts with the notation of you seeking to have such a weapon on your person so that it could be produced in those circumstances.”

The court heard Phillips had served a substantial amount of time in custody awaiting his sentencing.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison with the 214 days he had spent in pre-sentence custody declared as time served.

Phillips was given immediate release on parole.

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