Murder, violence, incest: worst stories in court this year
The Gympie courts have heard some horror stories so far this year - these are the most harrowing
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HERE are some of the worst Gympie region crimes to make headlines this year, and the offenders and alleged offenders who felt the long arm of the law.
Gympie man shot in head, murder investigation underway
A MURDER investigation was launched in March after 22-year-old Michael Zanco died after being shot in the back of the head on an Amamoor property.
Mr Zanco died in hospital 24 hours after the shooting.
Kalabe John Steven Saurine, 19, and Nathan John Caulfield, 32, and Gympie man Trent Edward Dyhrberg, 33, were charged with his murder.
Alyce Maree Burgess, of Monkland, was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
The four offenders will appear in court again later this year.
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19-year-old meth addict's six month crime spree
A 19-year-old girl who fell in with a group of "experienced criminals" participated in a six month crime spree from August 2019 to January 2020.
In July, Chantslea Sue Curran pleaded guilty to 40 charges in the Gympie District Court, including supplying meth, attempted fraud, theft, possessing a firearm, and several driving offences.
The court heard Curran was in the midst of a meth addiction and was using the drug daily at the time of several of the offences, encouraged by an older then-boyfriend.
Man confesses to 40-year-old incest against sister
A 58-year-old man pleaded guilty to four sexual crimes against his sister, which took place 40 years ago in Cooloola.
The defendant, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, faced Gympie District Court last month with another eight historical sexual assaults and indecent dealing charges against him, including rape and unlawfully dealing with a child in his care.
The four crimes were committed against his sister, the court heard, and occurred between October 1, 1979, and April 1, 1980, in Cooloola.
'I'll burn them alive': accused Gympie businessman 'terrorised' victims
A Gympie businessman accused of "terrorising" two people and threatening to burn them alive
faced Gympie Magistrates Court earlier this year, charged with unlawful assault, attempted break-in, threatening violence, property damage and being armed with a knife.
Mr Bennett allegedly terrorised two men and threatened to set a property on fire with them in it, and said "this will burn easy".
"I've done it before. I don't care if there's any kids in here, I'll burn them all alive."
Mr Bennett was granted Supreme Court bail in July and ordered to wear a GPS tracker.
Tradie threatened to shoot mum, kids over pay dispute
A Gympie tradie who harrassed two of his clients over pay disputes and threatened to kill the family of one of them pleaded guilty to two counts of extortion, one count of wilful and unlawful damage and one count of using a carriage service to menace and harass.
Ben James Friske, 30, left one client more than 40 calls and threatened to shoot another client and her children, and smash their car. the court heard.
Friske had his matter adjourned to the Maroochydore District Court for sentencing.
'If you call the police you're going to die'
A Gympie mum who pulled a knife, beat up and threatened to kill her own mother faced court earlier this year, and pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
On March 7, Chloe Fay Boole, 31, attacked her mother, storming into her house before her mother was able to lock the door.
Boole attacked her, punching her in the body and head, and then brandished a knife and threatened to kill her mother.
"I'm going to kill you, c---," she said. "If you call the police you're going to die.
'Disgusting act' 22yo spat blood in Gympie nurse's face
A young father who kicked a man in the head so badly he was placed in an induced coma committed the assault while on bail for spitting blood into a nurse's face.
On November 3, last year, Jack James Daniel Fresen, 22, was admitted to Gympie Hospital, where he spat blood and saliva at the face of a nurse trying to sedate him after he threatened to kill himself.
Just over a month later, Fresen kicked a man in the head and knocked him out during a drunken fight, and was charged with serious assault occasioning bodily harm and taking part in a public fight while intoxicated.
20yo dad downs bottle of Wild Turkey, punches cop in face
A man who "blacked out" after drinking almost an entire litre of Wild Turkey told the Gympie Magistrates Court he did not remember punching a police officer or jumping into an unknown bystander's car.
Branden Radford Powell, 20, was in court earlier this year charged with assaulting a police officer, being a public nuisance offence and contravening a requirement by failing to appear following a fight at Noosa.
Powell told Magistrate Chris Callaghan he was with a family friend at North Deep Creek that night when he drank "75 per cent" of a litre bottle of Wild Turkey within in an hour.
The night a machete-wielding crim terrorised Gympie family
A "terrifying yet bizarre" home invasion and subsequent eight-hour police siege in the heart of Gympie in 2019, left a young family fearing for their lives.
Tallen Steven Hames, 28, of Gympie was jailed for his role in the events of that night, while his co-accused Cody Steven Hazelgrove, 37, also faced the court and had his matter adjourned for sentencing.
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