Roma Magistrates Court: Man charged with being armed in public to cause fear

A concerned camper was threatened with a knife after he stepped in to tell a father who was disciplining his child to settle down.

During what was meant to be a weekend of joy and celebration, a 39-year-old father turned on fellow campers at the Easter in the Country Festival when he was called out for his parenting strategies.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in Roma Magistrates Court to being armed in public to cause fear.

Police prosecutions said on April 8 police received reports of an armed man raising a knife at anyone who would approach him or go near him at the Bassett Park campgrounds.

The court was told a nearby camper heard the defendant yelling and swearing at one of his daughters.

The camper approached the defendant and told him “not to speak to a girl like that”.

The defendant grabbed a stainless steel knife off a table and pointed it at the victim camper who then took a step back thinking he was going to be stabbed.

The court heard the defendant made a threat to kill him and said he will get his friends to come and bash him.

When police arrived and spoke to the defendant he denied the allegations.

He stated he was at the campsite with his 15-year-old daughter and she started to ‘disrespect’ him when an unknown male approached and threatened to ‘stomp on his head’.

The defendant said when the male approached him he already had a butter knife in his hand as he was preparing dinner for his children.

However three witnesses said they all observed him pointing a knife at the victim camper and verbally abusing him.

One witness told police they feared they would be stabbed.

The defendant was taken to the Roma Police Station and was released on bail.

Magistrate Shane Elliott said he believed the only appropriate penalty was one of imprisonment considering the “prevalence of knife offences” and how he was in court for common assault less than twelve months ago.

“Whenever you hold a knife in your hand in such a manner, there’s always a risk,” magistrate Elliott said.

“I’m not saying you intended to use it, (but) it’s a potentially deadly weapon.

“You’re the father of two children, you need to reflect on how you deal with conflict, particularly how you deal with conflict in front of your children.”

He was sentenced to three months imprisonment with an immediate parole release. A conviction was recorded.