Mackay father threatens former partner with knives while holding their baby

The father armed himself with five pocket knives before he descended on his former partner’s home assaulting her partner and snatching his infant daughter from the cot.

The former partner arrived home to find him holding their baby in one hand and a knife in another.

A Mackay mother returned home to find her former partner wielding a knife in one hand and their infant daughter in another.

Mackay District Court heard the 36-year-old father, who had a violent past, armed himself with five pocket knives before he descended on his former partner’s home on January 3, 2021.

The court heard the mother of the child and her new boyfriend had “quickly ducked out” of the house leaving the infant in the care of the mother’s friend.

Prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said the father showed up to the house with four pocket knives in a bum bag and wielding a fifth, pushing the friend into a door to get to the baby.

Ms O’Rourke said when the mother arrived home, she found him holding their baby in one hand and a knife in another.

The court heard that after some negotiation, the man returned the baby to her but quickly turned his attention to her new partner.

Continuing to wield the knife, the father made threats to kill and ran towards the man.

The fight stopped after the father injured himself, cutting his fingers on his own knife.

Police found the man outside the front of the Mackay mother’s house and arrested him.

The court heard the father had been in custody for 235 days since the incident.

He pleaded guilty in Mackay District Court to burglary while breaking while armed, two counts of common assault, and one contravention of a domestic violence order.

The court heard the maximum penalty for the father's actions was life imprisonment.

In sentencing, Judge Tony Moynihan took into consideration the father’s violent history in New South Wales which included a conviction of robbing a taxi driver at knifepoint and using the car to evade police in 2005 among other offences.

Judge Moynihan sentenced the man to two years jail with parole eligibility on September 2, 2021.

The court heard the father had already served 235 days in custody since January.

Convictions were recorded.