Dwaine William Davis sentenced for multiple wilful damage charges in Roma

A Roma man has faced court after after he took a golf club to his neighbour’s garage door, and pummelled their cars with a tree branch.

Dwaine William Davis was sentenced in the Roma Magistrates Court on October 2.

A young Roma man has been sentenced for a destructive rampage involving golf clubs and tree branches labelled as “bizarre” by a magistrate.

Dwaine William Davis appeared before the Roma Magistrates Court on October 2, facing six charges of wilful damage, one charge of stealing, and three breaches of bail conditions.

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to all ten charges before magistrate Michael Wood on that day.

Police prosecutor sergeant Ellysha Geddes told the court that at the time of the offending, Davis was living next door to the complainants, and they shared a driveway.

On April 7, 2024, Sergeant Geddes said Davis was seen on the neighbour’s security camera, using a golf club to hit items off the driveway and into their garage door.

Eventually, the head of the club flew off and into the door, causing a significant dent.

Sergeant Geddes said an hour later, Davis was seen again pacing the driveway while wielding the broken club, before he used the weapon to knock the neighbour’s security camera down.

“The defendant then proceeds to pick up the security camera from the ground, and walk it a short distance down the road before dropping it into a storm water drain,” Sergeant Geddes said.

The neighbour demanded that Davis return the camera, and so the 19-year-old’s older brother went into the drain to retrieve the battered camera.

On April 10, police paid Davis a visit but he declined to participate in an interview.

Later that night, Davis returned to the property, this time wielding a tree branch.

Sergeant Geddes said Davis could be seen on the CCTV footage using the branch to try and break down their front door, then pummelled his neighbour’s two cars, breaking the windscreen of one and tail lights on both cars.

Davis also took his destruction further, attending a Bowen St property where he kicked in a fence between about 8pm on April 10 and 6am on April 11.

Police arrested Davis in relation to those matters at 1.30pm on April 11, Sergeant Geddes said.

He also pleaded guilty to three breaches of bail conditions, two of which were as a result of Davis being intoxicated and not at his residential address when he was required to be by his bail conditions. The other was as a result of failing to report when he was required to.

Sergeant Geddes said no restitution was sought for the damage he caused.

“It also appears there may have been some sort of … issue with the neighbours given this protracted and ongoing offending towards them at that time,” Sergeant Geddes said.

Davis was represented by Calum Wood, who said Davis was already under a probation order.

He said Davis had been struggling with his mental health for a period of time, which was heightened by a family tragedy earlier in the year.

Mr Wood said since the offending, Davis has been taking prescribed mental health medication which has made a marked difference to his mental state.

He described the offending as “more bizarre than explicitly criminal”.

Magistrate Wood sentenced the teenager to nine months of probation, that he would continue to have access to the support and supervision he needs, and none of his convictions were recorded.