‘Wait until I get you’: North Queensland man’s Easter trip to the shops lands prison sentence

Staff at a Townsville supermarket had to intervene after an argument over Easter eggs got out of control.

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Staff at a North Queensland supermarket had to intervene when an argument over Easter eggs got out of control.

A 49-year-old Townsville man who cannot be named for legal reasons was handed a prison sentence for the incident after checks revealed he was subject to a suspended sentence and a domestic violence order.

The man pleaded guilty in the Townsville Magistrates Court via video link to one charge of contravening a domestic violence order on Thursday, April 1 after he was taken into custody the night before.

Police prosecutor Jordan Theed said a protection order against the man was in place until 2024.

Mr Theed said at approximately 9.15pm on March 31, a male and female entered the IGA at Garbutt before getting into an argument

“Staff intervened and called police,” Mr Theed said.

Police were told the man and woman got into a verbal argument over Easter eggs.

“Witnesses stated they observed the male yell at the aggrieved and say ‘f**k you, you dog’” Mr Theed told the court.

The court heard the man threatened to kill the woman after he said “wail til I get you,” Mr Theed said.

Witnesses told police they “intervened” and separated the two and removed the man from the store.

“The threatening behaviour continued once outside the store,” Mr Theed said.

The incident was captured on CCTV.

Police caught the pair based on descriptions provided by witnesses and questioned them over the incident.

Neither party was particularly forthcoming about the details and the man “initially denied any such threat” was made.

The court was told the man was on a suspended sentence and had a “lengthy history”.

In court, the man’s defence solicitor Ms Julie Kefford said her client’s “history was against him”.

Magistrate Steven Mosch sentenced the man to three months imprisonment for the offence, ordered to be cumulative upon the activated term of imprisonment imposed on February 1.

A conviction was recorded.

The man was released on parole.

Originally published as ‘Wait until I get you’: North Queensland man’s Easter trip to the shops lands prison sentence