Nelson Fujita Palmer in court for public nuisance, assault

A convicted arsonist removed from a parent’s change room chased a terrified woman into the home of an elderly couple and vowed ‘I’m going to get you’ before attacking the older man who was trying to protect her. This is what the court heard.

A 28-year-old convicted arsonist threw chewed up food at security guards after trespassing into a parent change room at a sports stadium, and on a separate occasion punched an old man who was trying to protect a young woman.

Fewer than two months after he was sentenced for arson in Gympie District Court, Nelson Fujita Palmer pleaded guilty via video link from custody to multiple charges in Gympie Magistrates Court on August 1, 2022.

On July 15, 2021 at 11.30am, security at Ipswich Stadium reported to police that a man was trespassing in the parent’s changing-rooms, the court heard.

Palmer was escorted out by security before he took chewed-up food from his mouth and threw it at the security guards while shouting abuse.

Nelson Fujita Palmer. Photo: Facebook

Palmer was located by police and taken into custody. During a search, police found a stolen cap from Target.

Palmer told police that the food he threw at security was also stolen from Woolworths, the court heard.

It heard that on August 28, 2021, Palmer was chasing a young woman who fled to an elderly man’s house, saying “how dare you go and hide behind these old people”.

“I’m going to get you,” he said.

The elderly man put up his hand and said “you’re not going to hurt her, leave her alone”.

Without warning and leaving the elderly man no time to defend himself, Palmer threw a punch at the man’s face, the court was told.

He struggled to stand back up with his face in the ground and was left with a swollen cheek and bleeding on the inside of his mouth, it heard.

“That is just obnoxious, disgusting behaviour,” magistrate Chris Callaghan said.

Terrified, the elderly man’s wife dragged her husband inside their home to safety.

He also broke the elderly man’s windows on the same day, the court heard.

Palmer had recently taken a tiling and welding course, and had a five-year-old son, defence lawyer Neesha Maidwell told the court.

He was convicted of two counts of stealing, trespassing, wilful damage, serious assault of a person over the age of 60 and committing a public nuisance, and sentenced to two years and six months jail.

Palmer was released immediately on parole, having already spent 11 months in jail. A conviction was recorded.