Matthew Owen Woodcock jailed for two years for Finch Hatton home destruction

A man completely trashed a regional home in a bizarre rampage over Wi-Fi. And his weeping mum says her life has been “hell” since he fell into drugs. Read the latest

A man who went on a destructive rampage that left a home in Finch Hatton “uninhabitable” has been jailed as his mother speaks out in the aftermath of his crime.

Matthew Owen Woodcock was staying at the victim’s house on July 4, 2022 when he flew off the handle following an argument over Wi-Fi.

First Woodcock, 37, went outside to get a guitar and then smashed it over the front door – then he forced his way into the home even though the woman had locked the door and asked him to leave.

After Woodcock broke through, Mackay Magistrates Court heard the woman ran to the back of the house to get away but he pursued her, grabbed her arm and pushed her to ground.

He then grabbed a table, threw it and trashed the house.

The woman tried t call emergency services but Woodcock wrested the phone from her, grabbed her by the shirt and threw her to the ground.

She ran off to a neighbour’s house and he pursued her.

Police prosecutor Lennon Stathoulis said Woodcock taunted her as she ran away.

“He was yelling ‘run little girl, you won’t outrun me, I’ll catch ya’,” Mr Stathoulis said.

When the woman returned, she noted significant damage to her home and also that her car had been tampered with.

Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said the photo evidence of the damage showed the house was uninhabitable.

Matthew Owen Woodcock was sentenced at Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 24, 2022.

“This home could not be lived in,” she said.

“Everything that could be smashed inside that house was smashed.

“And that pretty much represents all of the possessions of the victim in this matter.”

Defence solicitor Rosemary Varley said her client had been a productive member of the community before he started using methamphetamine in 2019.

When he moved to Mackay in May 2022, Ms Varley said he “fell into those old habits” of drug and alcohol use.

At the time of his sentence, Woodcock had spent nearly five months in jail.

Woodcock pleaded guilty to assault, possession of tainted property and dangerous drugs, two instances of wilful damage and wilful damage of police property.

He was jailed for two years in prison with immediate parole eligibility.

Speaking outside the Mackay court after the sentence, Woodcock’s tearful mother Louise Woodcock said she had “lost” her son after he was allegedly assaulted and suffered a head injury in the Northern Territory.

“He has got an acquired brain injury for something he didn’t deserve,” he said.

In her telling, he was knocked down and hit his head on concrete.

“That was the day we lost our son,” she said.

“Our son never came back that day, they sent us home some weirdo from hospital.”

She said this incident preceded his fall into drugs.

She said she was “sorry” for his behaviour and his sisters were both “shattered” by what had happened.

“My life has been hell,” she said.

“I just don’t know how to help him.”