Shane Joseph O’Brien was trying to recover money owed to him when he threw a metal pole through a house wall

A dark coloured Kia Sportage pulled up in front of a Rockhampton house and a man got out of the vehicle and began his heated bid to “collect money owed to him”. Here’s what unfolded.

A man who threw a metal pole through the front of a Rockhampton house while on a debt collecting mission is facing serious drugs charges.

Shane Joseph O’Brien, 38, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on March 10 to wilful damage.

The court heard that on September 10 last year, O’Brien went to a Quay Street house at Depot Hill, Rockhampton, in an attempt to collect money owing to him.

Police Prosecutor Stacey Bain said about 8.15am on that day, a dark coloured Kia Sportage pulled up in front of the house.

Ms Bain said O’Brien got out of the vehicle and started calling out to the victim’s son “to come out the front to face him”.

The victim was watching from behind a door of the residence and saw a female in the front passenger seat and a male in the rear of the vehicle.

After calling out without success, O’Brien got a metal pole from the vehicle and threw it at the house.

Ms Bain said the contact put a hole in the sheeting of a front wall.

The victim then yelled out that she was calling the police and O’Brien returned to his vehicle and drove off.

After police arrived at the house, the victim’s son identified O’Brien as the man responsible for causing the damage.

CCTV footage was also given to police from the front of the house which showed the entire incident, Ms Bain said.

The prosecution said during questioning, O’Brien made full admissions to attending the house “in an attempt to collect money owed to him from the victim’s son”.

Defendant conceded he handled situation poorly

Ms Bain said O’Brien told police that he became angry and subsequently threw the metal pole at the dwelling, causing the damage.

“The defendant conceded that he handled the situation poorly and his behaviour was unacceptable,” Ms Bain said.

Solicitor Krissy Cummins said O’Brien had no prior wilful damage offences on his criminal history which consisted of “mainly drug offending”.

Ms Cummins said O’Brien accepted the facts as read by the prosecution in this matter, and that he had other more serious drug-related charges to be dealt with in a higher court.

“This charge, as you can infer from the facts, is related in a way to the drug offences,” Ms Cummins said.

Ms Cummins said O’Brien was a father of two and since this offending he had made “a substantial effort to turn his life around.”

The solicitor tendered documents to support this.

Ms Cummins said O’Brien was employed, working at the Rockhampton dump, and she said he also did volunteer gardening work for Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service.

Before handing down penalty, Magistrate Cameron Press noted this offence was in breach of numerous suspended sentences.

Mr Press placed O’Brien on 12 months’ probation with conditions including a requirement to attend drug rehabilitation and drug testing.

Mr Press did not activate any of the suspended sentences but he did extend all of them for one month.