Kingaroy man granted bail after allegedly inciting six hour “siege” with fake weapon

A Kingaroy man allegedly threatened police with a fake weapon and yelled for them to shoot him during a six hour siege.

Zachary Richards was granted bail after allegedly inciting six hour "siege" with a fake weapon. File Photo.

During a tense six hour standoff between a Kingaroy man and police, Zachary William Richards dared officers to pull the trigger as he allegedly threatened them with a fake "mace type" object, a court heard.

On February 12, police were called to a Kingaroy address on reports of a man cutting himself after consuming a high quantity of drugs and alcohol.

After police arrived on scene at 11pm, Richards allegedly came out of the property with a "fake weapon", causing police to remain on the other side of a fence while negotiators attempted to calm him down, the court heard.

In the Kingaroy Magistrates Court, police prosecutor Barry Stevens said officers alleged the defendant verbally abused police for several hours before asking them to shoot him.

The ordeal continued for six hours, with the defendant finally surrendering himself to police at 5.17am the next morning (February 13).

Richards was later taken to hospital where he is alleged to have assaulted one of the officers.

Richards was represented by Jay Rose from Rose Gold Legal, when he appeared in court on Monday, March 15.

Ms Rose said it appeared the police will take the matter to the district court, meaning the time her client spends in presentence custody may be at risk of exceeding his prospective sentence.

She also expressed concern at the results of a mental health examination order made on February 15.

"He was suicidal and they've indicated nil acute mental illness and nil acute risks, and intellectual impairment," Ms Rose said.

"Some of the conditions mentioned in the paperwork include ADHD and some issues with his intellectual impairment and understanding.

"I also note there are allegations of harm that could be caused to himself."

Ms Rose said her client informed her that on the day of the alleged "siege", Richards admits to consuming a "whole bottle of Xanax", which he was lawfully prescribed.

"He was then consuming alcohol and did not understand why the police were at his home," she said.

Taking into account the defendants lack of history and the results of the mental health report, Magistrate Andrew Sinclair granted Richards bail.

"It's clear that the mental health professionals charged with keeping the community safe think Mr. Richards is safe in our community," Magistrate Sinclair said.

"There were requests to the police officers to shoot him and that appears to have been one of the primary motivations in producing the fake weapon."

Originally published as Kingaroy man granted bail after allegedly inciting six hour “siege” with fake weapon