Jennsen Maxwell McEwan pleads guilty to spitting on police, security

A convicted choker who went off during his daughter’s birth, later threatening to behead a Qld Health doctor and spitting at security and police, now says he wants out of jail because it’s too violent inside.

Jennsen Maxwell McEwan was at the maternity ward on June 2, 2024, for the birth of his daughter when he started verbally aggressive towards staff.

A new dad with a history of violence and whose latest outbursts included a threat to “chop” a doctor’s head off, wants to be released from jail because of the “horrific” brutality inside.

Details of the day Jennsen Maxwell McEwan went wild in the maternity ward during his daughter’s birth were revealed on Tuesday in Gympie Magistrates Court which also heard the 26-year-old had watched a prisoner “saw” off another man’s fingers while in jail.

The court heard McEwan’s verbal abuse of Gympie Hospital staff on June 2, 2024, was so extreme, his newborn was removed from the room.

But McEwan’s most serious offending against hospital staff and police happened a month later on July 5 when he had a seizure while in custody and was taken back to the same hospital for treatment.

Jennsen Maxwell McEwan was at the maternity ward on June 2, 2024, for the birth of his daughter when he started verbally aggressive towards staff.

The court heard he first threatened a doctor who was trying to help him, saying he would “chop your f-----g head off”, threatening to kill multiple hospital staff, and violently banging his handcuffs on nearby objects.

When a security guard approached to help restrain the 25-year-old, he spat in the man’s eyes.

He then also spat on the chest of a police officer and tried to bite his hand twice, the court was told.
Police Prosecutor Allison Johnstone said it was only “luck” the spit did not land on the police officer’s face.

The court heard McEwan had a criminal history dating back several years with multiple entries for offences including wilfully insulting people during court proceedings, obstructing and assaulting police and damaging police property.

In 2020 he was jailed for two years and three months on a choking charge, and for the same charge again in 2023.

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The court heard McEwan had a criminal history dating back several years with multiple entries for offences including wilfully insulting people during court proceedings, obstructing, assaulting police and damaging police property,

He was jailed for two years and six months for that offence, and released on parole in May 2023, the court was told.

McEwan was still on parole when he threatened the hospital staff and spat on the officer and guard.

Defence lawyers Chris Anderson told the court his 25-year-old client was “very remorseful” about his actions and was experiencing some “psychotic” issues at the time.

Mr Anderson said the footage of McEwan threatening and attacking the staff showed him displaying “a number of demeanours”.

He said McEwan’s supporters and he himself had referred to a persona named “Frankie”.

It was this “persona that was quite clearly evident when he is engaging with the police”, Mr Anderson said.

“It is a vastly different personality, there’s a vastly different voice … a gravelly voice that is quite different to his usual manner of speaking.”

He had “limited recall” of his actions.

The court heard during Gympie Hospital workers’ efforts to help McEwan while he was in custody, he first threatened a doctor saying he would “chop your f-----g head off”, threatened to kill multiple hospital staff and violently banged his handcuffs on nearby objects.

McEwan was eager to be released as soon as possible owing to a horrific incident he witnessed while in custody, Mr Anderson said.

He was working in the wood shop when he saw an inmate “intentionally” put another inmate’s hand into a power saw.

The victim was left with four “stubbed” fingers as “the tips of their fingers were cut off,” Mr Anderson said.

Magistrate Bevan Hughes accepted McEwan’s guilty plea to spitting on police, obstructing police, spitting on the security guard, and public nuisance.

Mr Hughes said his actions were “disgusting” and “inexcusable” and sentenced him to 18 months’ jail.

As McEwan had already served 228 days in pre-sentence custody, he was made eligible for immediate parole.