Wayne Donald Dean in court for making death threat

A businessman and former chairman of the Gympie Muster music festival used a coffin lid, a shovel and a nickname to send a message to a security guard. Read what was said in court.

A Gympie businessman and father of two was sentenced in Gympie court after he made a death threat to a security guard who allegedly assaulted his son at a nightclub.

Wayne Donald Dean, 52, former chairman of the Gympie Music Muster, pleaded guilty and was convicted of making a death threat against security guard Brian Robert Thompson.

Mr Thompson is also widely known as Triple H, after WWE Professional Wrestling.

Gympie Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that about 3.30pm on December 22, 2021, Mr Thompson was driving on the Mary Valley Highway near the Southside when he saw a car with a coffin lid strapped to the back of the vehicle and a shovel beside it.

The coffin was labelled with a bold ‘Triple H, RIH”.

Mr Thompson contacted an associate and asked him to take photos of the vehicle and coffin lid, the court was told.

Wayne Donald Dean was fined in Gympie Magistrates Court for threatening violence.

His associate located and took photos of the vehicle parked on the grass near Anzac Memorial Park, with the coffin facing the Mary Valley Highway, and sent it to Mr Thompson.

As the associate was walking back to his car, Dean approached him and asked if he knew who Triple H was.

In turn, the associate asked Dean if the coffin was a death threat, the court heard.

“F--k yeah, it is,” Dean replied.

Mr Thompson told police he heard some threats were going around, and he was fearful that those threats would be acted upon.

Dean was approached by police about 10am on December 24, at Normanby Hill Rd, the court heard.

He told police he was a fan of WWE Professional Wrestling, but declined further interview and was arrested then later released on bail.

Dean’s lawyer told the court his client was “frustrated and angry” at Mr Thompson for allegedly assaulting his 19-year-old son.

The security guard was working at a nightclub when he allegedly caused severe dental damage to Dean’s son.

Mr Thompson will face Gympie District Court at a later date, the court heard.

Dean was a butcher for 11 years before he became business owner of The Cooloola Sails Company.

He is a member of the Gympie Apex Club, volunteered for the Apex Muster committee between 2009 and 2015, and was chairman of the board in 2014 and 2015.

Dean was fined $600 and convictions were not recorded.