Kyle James Bownds charged in Proserpine Magistrates Court for possessing sword

Police swooped in on a man after he was spotted with a sword swung over his shoulder near two Qld childcare centres.

Kyle James Bownds appeared in Proserpine Magistrates Court on April 7 2025 after he was arrested for carrying a samurai sword.

A Cannonvale childcare centre was forced to call the police when they spotted a man with a sword out the front of the centre.

Kyle James Bownds was arrested on the afternoon of February 4, after a witness from the childcare centre alerted police to a man walking near the front entrance carrying a samurai sword.

Police were initially unable to locate the 25-year-old, who had left his phone to charge at a nearby business.

The court heard police officers remained near the business where the phone was charging to ensure the safety of the two childcare centres located within 20 metres of the location in case Bownds returned.

When he returned later that afternoon Mr Bownds was arrested and searched for weapons and police found a flick knife in his pocket.

Bownds told police at the time that when he saw police cars on the street, he suspected they may have been there for him because of the sword.

The court heard he then told police he had purchased the sword, a box for the sword, and a licence earlier that morning as a collectable item and the sword had been taken to his cabin at the Tasman Holiday Park in Jubilee Pocket.

The store confirmed the purchase.

Solicitor Cleo Rewald for Richards Rewald Lawyers appeared as duty lawyer for Bownds telling the court while he was not swinging the sword or anything of that nature, the concern was warranted.

“Certainly, the facts are very alerting when one first reads it,” she said, explaining the sword was originally in a box but as Bownds was on an e-scooter he was unable to manage it in that state.

“So, he’s taken it out of the box, he’s slung it on his back so that he can get home, he’s stopped off to get a coffee and asked a fella he knows at the shop to charge his phone,” she said, adding there was no criminality to his actions other than the genuine concern of the public at him having the sword on his back.

“There’s no sinister undertones.”

Bownds was also charged with failing to appear in accordance with an undertaking and possessing a section 4 medicine - diazepam.

Acting Magistrate Nigel Rees said Bownds was lucky he wasn’t charged with something more serious “seeing as he caused fear to somebody in the childcare, and that’s all that’s needed”.

He noted the amount of anxiety that would have been caused to the childcare centre by Bownds actions, particularly given the prevalence of knife crime.

Bownds pleaded guilty to all charges.

In relation to the failure to appear, possess knife, and possess weapon charges he was fined $1000.

For possessing the section 4 medicine he was convicted and not further punished.

Convictions were recorded.