Brodie Jordan Arnold ordered to complete 240 hours community service after he pleaded guilty to his seventh public nuisance offence

Magistrate: ‘Giving him 40 hours community service makes a mockery of punishment for this offence’

Brodie Jordan Arnold (must complete 240 hours of unpaid community service after he drunkenly lashed out in the Mackay CBD during a going away party.

A Mackay magistrate told a serial drunken pest he had two options – either complete the maximum number of community service hours or receive a jail term.

The 23 year old, who has since moved to Western Australia, had been highly intoxicated at his own going away party when he committed his seventh public nuisance offence in five years.

Brodie Jordan Arnold, through his solicitor, had pushed for the mandatory minimum penalty of 40 hours community service allowing him to soon return to the west coast, but Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said, “absolutely no way”.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard on November 29, 2020 Arnold’s friends had been trying to get him in a taxi on Victoria Street but he was swearing and pushing his friends.

When police stepped him he swore at officers and obstructed their efforts during his arrest. At Mackay watch house his bad behaviour continued – he knocked his property off the counter, saluted and abused police. He pleaded guilty to aggravated obstruction and being a public nuisance.

Defence solicitor Cassandra Adorni-Braccesi, of Wallace and Wallace Lawyers, placed emphasis on her client’s young age – he had been 22 at the time – and said he had tried to finalise the case before the first mention with a plea of guilty in writing.

The court heard however this move was rejected and as a result Arnold returned from Western Australian to plead guilty and planned to return as soon as he could.

Brodie Jordan Arnold must complete 240 hours of unpaid community service after he drunkenly lashed out in the Mackay CBD during a going away party.

Ms Adorni-Braccesi said her client had only ever received fines in the past and that jail was a big leap.

She pushed for 40 hours community service given Arnold’s personal circumstances, young age, gap in offending and that he would be required to stay in Mackay until the hours were completed.

But Ms Hartigan said his age was “not determinative of the whole matter”, adding that Arnold had been committing disorderly offences like public nuisance, obstruction, assault police, breaching a banning notice since 2016.

“It’s hard to imagine somebody who … especially since he’s tying the courts hands … doesn’t deserve a wholly suspended sentence,” Ms Hartigan said.

“Giving him 40 hours community service makes a mockery of punishment for this offence.”

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Ms Hartigan said he would have placed Arnold on probation but he was “tying the courts hands”.

“The options are he does the maximum community service – 240 hours, he stays here until he’s done that or I give him three months imprisonment wholly suspended and he does 40 hours.

“They’re his options, he has no other options.”

Ms Hartigan told Arnold he could not rely on his young age forever.

“You are a true public nuisance,” she said.

“There comes a time when the offence deserved imprisonment.”

But Ms Hartigan said on this occasion there was a step between Arnold and jail.

He was ordered to complete 240 hours community service. Convictions were recorded.

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Originally published as Brodie Jordan Arnold ordered to complete 240 hours community service after he pleaded guilty to his seventh public nuisance offence