Kilcoy truck driver Robert Christopher England faces Ipswich Court for Esk affray offence
A southeast Queensland court has heard how a group of truckies cornered another road user to accuse him of driving dangerously, sparking a heightened confrontation involving a circular saw.
Police & Courts
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A group of truck drivers’ fists were met with a circular saw during a frightening confrontation with a ute driver who they accused of driving dangerously, a court has heard.
Kilcoy truck driver Robert Christopher England, 48, pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrates Court on December 12, 2023, to one charge of affray.
The court heard England and some co-workers had been driving a significant weight of material from a quarry on July 13, 2022.
Crown prosecutor Shakirra Bassett said a ute driver was on his way to work when he drove between the trucks in a manner they perceived to be dangerous.
Magistrate Dennis Kinsella accepted the truck drivers may have had legitimate concerns.
“This perhaps – and you would understand this as a truck driver – is simply a matter of ignorance of other road users,“ he commented.
But he said those concerns became a catalyst for “simply anti-social” behaviour.
Mr Kinsella said the ute was damaged during an “interaction” with another truck driver.
He said England and the other truck drivers then “blocked in” the ute-driver when they reached Esk, to confront him about their safety concerns.
The court heard the ute-driver armed himself with a circular saw after one of the co-accused reached into the ute.
Mr Kinsella said England slammed against the door and kicked, while another co-accused allegedly damaged the windscreen.
England then punched into the ute through the window and kicked the door again.
The court heard there was “some struggle” between the ute driver and one of the other truck drivers.
Mr Kinsella said there were further arguments after the victim got out of his ute, but England had left the scene after “some common sense settled in”.
Defence lawyer Emma Higgins noted the truck drivers’ employer had informed them that morning that a person had escaped from the nearby Woodford Correctional Centre, causing them to be in a “heightened” state.
The court heard England had also been using methamphetamine at the time, but Ms Higgins said she didn’t provide that as an excuse for his behaviour.
Ms Higgins said her client had sought mental health assistance for anxiety and anger management soon after the offending – before charges were laid.
England had two teenage children and limited criminal history, the court heard.
Mr Kinsella accepted England was otherwise of good character, and acknowledged he had made significant rehabilitation efforts.
“It’s perhaps a silver lining attached to these matters, but it would appear that a number of issues which were bubbling below the surface probably came to the fore as a consequence of this,” he said.
He sentenced England to six months probation, with no conviction recorded.
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