Ex mine worker Mark David Ward guilty of stalking Qld MP Tony Perrett
A former truck driver made a series of chilling threats to his local MP when he failed to intervene in an ongoing feud the man had with an adjoining landholder in rural Queensland.
Police & Courts
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A 52-year-old former mine worker has been banned from contacting or going near Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett after stalking the Gympie grazier turned politician in a series of voice messages.
Mark David Ward, of Kilkivan, pleaded guilty to stalking Mr Perrett for three weeks from August 18, 2024, to September 7, 2024, after contacting the MP about a neighbourhood dispute in Kilkivan.
Gympie Magistrates Court heard Ward reached out to Mr Perrett in an effort to resolve the years-long fight with an adjoining landowner, who he accused of shining bright lights into his home and refusing to deal with their constantly barking dogs.
However the court heard Mr Perrett then became a target himself.
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Police prosecutor Allison Johnston said Ward left a number of messages for Mr Perrett, saying he had “failed (Ward)” who had tried to contact him over the 12 years the issue had been ongoing.
Ward then and called him a “f--king joke”, a “two-faced liar”, and later said “I’ll treat your bloodline with the same respect I’ve been treated with”.
Another message informed Mr Perrett “anyone who makes an enemy of me makes an enemy for the rest of their f--king life”, and “happy Father’s Day you husk of a human”.
Defence lawyer Lisa Taylor said Ward had worked in the mines for about 12 years as a dump truck driver but suffered an injury 12 years ago when the truck’s brakes failed and he went over an embankment.
The ambulance taking him to hospital in the wake of the accident then had a head-on collision leaving him with serious injuries to his back, neck, and head, the court heard.
In June 2023, the 52-year-old then lost teeth and suffered a “significant” head injury when he was assaulted.
This left him reliant on medication including morphine and nerve blockers, the court was told.
He was “weaning” off them when he left the messages on the phone owned by Mr Perrett, who he had known for “many years”.
“He just lost it,” Mrs Taylor said.
The court heard his criminal history had no previous entries for stalking.
It did have entries for violent offences in 2015 and 2021, for which he had been placed on probation and subject to non contact orders.
Police found marijuana in a yoghurt container and two rounds of old ammunition during his arrest.
Mrs Taylor said Ward, who was refused bail following his September arrest, had spent 81 days in pre-sentence custody and was at risk of serving a “manifestly excessive” period behind bars compared to others who committed similar offending.
Magistrate Bevan Hughes told Ward anyone who received the messages would “find them disturbing”.
He had further impeded Mr Perrett’s ability to represent the rest of his community “without fear or favour”.
Ward pleaded guilty to stalking, possessing dangerous drugs, and possessing ammunition without a licence.
He was sentenced to one year’s probation with immediate release, and banned from contacting or going anywhere near Mr Perrett for five years.
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