Adrian John Nicholls in court for possessing knife in public, public nuisance

A former Rainbow Beach pub cleaner went into a “black zone” after a argument involving a group of men in a Rainbow Beach car park. Things only got worse from there:

A former Rainbow Beach Hotel cleaner was caught brandishing a knife on CCTV after an argument involving a group of men earlier that day.

Cooloola Cove man Adrian John Nicholls, 59, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday to unlawful possession of a knife in public and a public nuisance offence.

The court heard Nicholls, who was a cleaner at the Rainbow Beach Hotel at the time, had finished his shift about 3.45pm on November 7, 2021, and gone to the Rainbow Beach Surf Club.

Nicholls was employed as a cleaner at the Rainbow Beach Hotel (pictured), where the altercation broke out.

A group of men nearby were being loud and disruptive and were spoken to by Surf Club manager before Nicholls got involved.

The group were subsequently kicked out of the Surf Club, and began abusing Nicholls in the car park.

Nicholls later told police he went into a mental “black zone” and remembered grabbing a knife from his car, but nothing else.

Later that night, CCTV from the Castaways Cellars bottle shop in Rainbow Beach showed a maxi taxi pull up out the front of the shop, shortly followed by a ute driven by Nicholls.

The taxi was carrying the group of men who had abused Nicholls earlier in the day, and three of those men had gone into the bottle shop when Nicholls was seen approaching the taxi brandishing the knife.

The footage showed Nicholls gesture towards the taxi before he stuck his head inside the side door.

The three men then left the bottle shop and Nicholls returned the knife to its sheath before he approached one of the men.

The man backed away and bottle shop and hotel staff intervened before Nicholls could withdraw the knife.

Adrian John Nicholls leaves Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday. Photo: Elizabeth Neil

A witness told police Nicholls had threatened other people inside the taxi and brandished the knife before he approached one of the men leaving the bottle shop.

Police prosecutor Vicki Kennedy-Grills said Nicholls’ behaviour was “very concerning”.

Defence lawyer Chris Anderson told the court his client was “embarrassed” by his behaviour.

Nicholls lost his job after the incident.

He was fined $900 for the incident, and a conviction was not recorded.