Man pulls out large hunting knife in laundromat

Prosecutor: ‘A reasonable person in public simply wouldn’t pull out a hunting knife’

A man has been fined for using a hunting knife in a laundromat.

SECURITY cameras captured the moment a man pulled a large hunting knife from his backpack inside a Mackay laundromat.

Daniel Murphy William Tyson Panschow did not do anything “sinister” with the knife.

In fact he just used it to open a packet of washing powder.

But unfortunately for the 29 year old, a member of the community, who flagged down a passing police car out of concern, witnessed his actions.

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“Obviously they were worried about what your intentions were going to be,” Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said.

Panschow pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court to possessing a knife in a public place on October 3 this year.

“A reasonable person in public simply wouldn’t pull out a hunting knife and cut the top of the detergent packet,” police prosecutor Sergeant Sabine Scott told the court, saying it was a concerning factor.

“People just don’t do that normally.”

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Defence solicitor Ashley Reynolds said her client, who had moved to Mackay from Proserpine and was staying at a hostel, had been gifted the knife the night before by a friend and had put it in his bag.

The next day about 7am he had been doing laundry.

The court heard Panschow had an “atrocious” criminal history, although the entries were mostly alcohol-related offences.

Ms Hartigan said the conduct was an offence but she accepted it “wasn’t sinister” and decided a fine was an appropriate penalty.

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“It was a large knife in a public place,” she said.

Panschow was fined $500 and a conviction was recorded.

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