William Geoffrey Kay in court
A regional court has been told of the night families camping at Rainbow Beach hid in fear after a drunk man started running amok.
Police & Courts
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Families hid inside their tents in fear as an enraged man shouted profanities at a Rainbow Beach campground following a night of drinking.
William Geoffrey Kay pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday to being a public nuisance.
The 26-year-old man was camping at Rainbow Waters Holiday Park with his mother on October 18, 2022, the court heard.
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Kay was extremely drunk after consuming a “large quantity of alcohol” and started “behaving disorderly,” police prosecutor Vicki Kennedy-Grills said.
About 11pm, police were called and he was told to “sleep off” his intoxication in his caravan.
The officers advised the campground management to eject him from the premises the following day.
But with nowhere else to go at the time, Kay became angry and remained on the grounds.
In the afternoon, he started swearing and arguing loudly at the campsite.
Other campers hid themselves inside their tents out of fear, Sergeant Kennedy-Grills said.
Police were called at 1.30pm and heard him shouting words like “c---” and he was arrested, the court heard.
Families at the campground told police they were “severely frightened” and the incident had impacted the children who witnessed his outburst, Sgt Kennedy-Grills said.
Kay’s mother addressed the court, saying her son had been kicked out of the family home and had been staying in hotels, motels and campsites for more than a month.
She said he would soon move into a new home with his parents who “will not tolerate the shenanigans that have been going on this year,” including alcohol consumption in the house.
Currently on a pension, Kay said he would start studying horticulture and had started taking medication since the incident.
He was fined $300 and convictions were not recorded.
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