Revealed: Public nuisance offenders in the Burnett region exposed
From grabbing a police officer by the crotch to abusing medical staff trying to treat a man for heart issues, we take a look back at some of the most shocking and disorderly incidents to be dealt with in Burnett courts.
Police & Courts
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From biting police officers to vile racist slurs or public brawls, the Burnett region is no stranger to wild and unruly public behaviour.
These are the offenders who’ve been sentenced in South and North Burnett courts for unruly public behaviour:
A repeat offender narrowly avoided jail for a public brawl in a Kingaroy shop and vandalising property at a medical centre, despite police saying he’s already had countless warnings.
Visitors to Kingaroy Shoppingworld were left stunned when a brawl broke out between Zechariah Kember and another man at the newsagency last December.
Later that month the 19-year-old was charged again when he stopped by the South Burnett Medical Centre and began punching the fence, causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage to the panels.
Kember pleaded guilty to public nuisance and wilful damage in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court.
He was fined $500 and ordered to pay $250 in compensation for the fence.
A longstanding feud spilt onto the D’Aguilar Highway when a man chased down a rival and his girlfriend before ramming into the woman’s car and brawling with the other man on the side of the road.
Harley Joshua Fitzgerald was standing next to his mother’s car when he spotted his brother’s ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend leaving a Blackbutt pub in June last year.
Police prosecutor Lisa Manns told the Kingaroy Magistrates Court the other man stuck up his middle finger up at the 26-year-old before driving off toward Yarraman, prompting an angered Fitzgerald to follow.
The prosecutor said the Blackbutt man struck the woman’s car twice during the pursuit, before both cars pulled over and the men began brawling on the D’Aguilar Highway.
Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to the dangerous operation of a vehicle and public nuisance.
He was placed on 12 month probation and ordered to pay $2299.43 in compensation for damage to the car.
A Kingaroy woman who threatened to kill her neighbour’s three-year-old child turned her rage towards police, attempting to bite and punch them before grabbing an officer by the genitalia and squeezing.
Kylie Ann Shapland was taken into custody after going to her neighbours’ property and screaming threats, including that she would “come over and kill their three-year-old son”.
When the 33-year-old was taken into the Kingaroy watch-house, she began headbutting and kicking the walls of her cell, forcing officers to move her to a padded cell.
Shapland’s violent outburst continued in her new confines, where she bit an officer and grabbed another by his genitalia.
She pleaded guilty in Kingaroy Magistrates Court to a string of charges including public nuisance, assaulting a police officer, common assault, wilful damage, and two counts of obstructing police.
Shapland was placed on probation for 18 months.
After being taken to Murgon Hospital by police after refusing to answer compulsory Covid questions, a Murgon man has gone off at his arresting officers after a patient with heart problems was seen before him.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Barry Stevens said Tyson John Edwin Hanks, 28, demanded to be seen first by medical staff and began abusing police when told the doctor was currently attending to the older man.
“The doctor was seeing an older man in the other room who was suffering from heart problems. The defendant replied to the police ‘I don’t care, he’s f —king old and probably going to die, who cares’,” Sergeant Stevens said.
Hanks was charged with obstructing police and conduct causing public nuisance as a result of his actions, which Sergeant Steven described as “very distressing for all involved”. He pleaded guilty to both charges.
He pleaded guilty and was fined $1000.
After attempting to break up an altercation at the McDonald’s, a police officer of Asian descent endured “vile” racist slurs from a Kingaroy mother, who among other things called him a “Chinese c —t”.
Police managed to move one of the brawling groups on, however Natasha Rose Smallwood, 33, stuck around and started abusing another person.
When a police officer of Asian descent attempted to de-escalate the situation she started making racist comments, screaming “f-ck off you Chinese c —t” and “f-ck you’re face off you Chinese c —t’” at the officer.
Smallwood pleaded guilty to public nuisance in Kingaroy Magistrates Court and was placed on 12 months probation.
A Kingaroy man scored himself a second date with the court before the first had even begun after wrestling on the top steps of the courthouse.
Police prosecutor sergeant Pepe Gangemi said police were called to the steps of the Kingaroy Magistrates Court after two men, who both showed up for court that day, began “wrestling” on the ground.
Zachary William Richards, 28, pleaded guilty to five charges before Murgon Magistrates Court, including two counts of committing a public nuisance, obstructing police, possessing dangerous drugs, and possessing drug utensils.
He was convicted and fined $600.
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