Darren Reginald Parkins is charged with going armed to cause fear after he allegedly followed a stranger while armed with a kitchen knife

‘It is clear to me that (he) has an affiliation with weapons, in particular knives’

A South Mackay man allegedly following a stranger while armed with a knife after the man intervened in a dispute over his late mother’s home.

A South Mackay man is accused of arming himself with a kitchen knife and threatening a stranger who intervened in a property dispute over his dead mother’s estate.

Darren Reginald Parkins had allegedly been involved in an argument with his uncle, who was the executor of his mother’s will, when an “innocent bystander” walking by stepped in to see if everything was OK, Mackay Magistrates Court heard.

Mr Parkins allegedly armed himself with a kitchen knife at the Warland St home and followed the stranger for about 20 metres along Warland St.

He is charged with going armed to cause fear on July 3.

The court heard Mr Parkins allegedly had an “affiliation with weapons”.

Darren Reginald Parkins is charged with going armed to cause fear on July 3.

Prosecutor Chelsea Pearson, who opposed bail, said it was alleged he “armed himself with a knife and threatened an innocent bystander who intervened when he thought something was going on”.

The court heard Mr Parkins had an entry for robbery on his criminal history where “he armed himself with a knife” at a mini mart in 2016, as well as an entry for assault occasioning bodily harm.

Ms Pearson said he had also recently been charged with possessing a knife in a public place on June 3 that would be mentioned in court for the first time later this month.

The court heard in that instance Mr Parkins was allegedly found unconscious at Parkside Plaza on June 5 suffering from drug-induced psychosis and police found a pocket knife sticking out of his shirt.

Ms Pearson argued there was further offending allegedly involving a knife and as such no conditions could ameliorate that risk.

Legal Aid Queensland solicitor Ancilla Seethya said it was accepted her client was in a show cause position and it was a “strong” case.

Ms Seethya said Mr Parkins’s mother died about 14 months ago.

She said her client had lived at his mother’s home on Warland St before and after her death, only moving out because of this family dispute with the house.

The court heard Mr Parkins was on medication for drug abuse and was being treated for depression and post traumatic stress disorder following his father’s death when a boat sank off the Mackay coast in 2017.

Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said although the charge of going armed to cause fear “at first blush” sounded very serious, it had a “very low” maximum penalty of two years jail.

“It is clear to me that Mr Parkins has an affiliation with weapons, in particular knives,” Ms Hartigan said.

Ms Hartigan told the court Mr Parkins had a serious criminal history but this was a “low level” charge and found the evidence was “strong”.

The court heard he had stable accommodation and there were no entries for failing to appear or breaching bail on his criminal history.

Ms Hartigan determined that any risk of him reoffending with a weapon could be mitigated with conditions.

Mr Parkins was granted bail. He must abide a residential condition and he must not attend his late mother’s home.

Matters have been adjourned to a later date.