Horrors of war haunt military veterans accused of shocking, violent crimes
Former soldiers reveal how the bloody battlegrounds of overseas conflicts led to their own brutal behaviour once at home. Veterans and their crimes from court.
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Soldiers in the Australian Defence Force are taught to override their fight or flight instincts and combat danger head-on, pushing forward in the face of bloodshed and warfare.
That skill, once necessary on the beaten down battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan, served soldiers well in combat, but can cause chaos upon return to civilian life.
Veteran Scott May struggled against that impulse once he left the military in 2009.
He’d watched as soldiers were blown up by car bombs on the drive to Camp Victory, he’d dodged random rocket attacks hurtling over the concrete walls of Baghdad and he’d performed first aid on a woman attacked by a suicide bomber, only to have her die in his arms.
But now the dust had settled and he was working in a mechanics workshop in Queensland, where hypervigilance and anxiety only caused him more problems.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Health of Veterans report, more than one in five, or around 22 per cent, of men who have served in the ADF reported a mental or behavioural condition.
Mr May found himself escalating from zero to one hundred within seconds of a perceived conflict, pushing back against customer complaints, screaming and pointing fingers over minor issues.
“I had no tolerance, I was starting to snap verbally, saying things like, ‘F--k off, c--khead’,” he said.
“Everything was snowballing, I was getting the nervous shakes.
“I could just feel myself losing control and thinking, I’m going to get pushed to the point where …”
Mr May trailed off.
“You need that fighter mentality to be an effective soldier, but it doesn’t translate into civilian life,” he said.
For Mr May, the next step was a call to his GP, where he was finally diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and embarked upon a long journey of therapy, medication and social support.
For others, PTSD can take a significantly darker turn.
Both current and former servicemen have fronted Brisbane courts over the last year, accused of committing acts of violence against colleagues, police, or those they love.
Featured in the list below are the stories of soldiers such as Trevor Collin Skoda, who assaulted several police officers during a routine stop, and Matthew Glen Williams, who reacted violently when awoken by his partner, striking her in the head.
Former special forces soldier Steven Michael Luxford made headlines last year when he was convicted of physically and emotionally abusing his ex-partner, slamming her into walls, spitting on her and threatening to kill her.
In each of those cases, their lawyers cite PTSD as a contributing factor.
Army veteran Dr Kerri-Ann Woodury has spent years studying the effect of military PTSD on intimate relationships and said a court appearance was likely the end of a long and difficult road of mental illness.
“A lot of ex-servicemen present with hypervigilance, where they just can’t switch off,” Dr Woodbury said.
“They’re forever looking for what they perceive to be a threat, they’re constantly on edge and wound up.
“Everything seems dangerous (and) if they’re lashing out, it’s not necessarily something they’re choosing to do, it’s a reaction to feeling cornered.”
Addressing the management of PTSD has been identified as a priority for the federal government since 2015.
“There are a lot of resources, but the tricky thing is that when people feel really unwell, when they need it the most, they don’t often feel able to go searching for help,” Dr Woodbury said.
Mr May said he’s seen a large number of examples wherein a veteran has received a diagnosis but failed to “go that next step to bettering themselves, and learning about how they can control themselves”.
“Veterans need to be proactive and constructive as opposed to destructive.”
“The onus is on you to get better.”
MATTHEW GLEN WILLIAMS
Military veteran Matthew Glen Williams, 35, became addicted to methamphetamines upon his return to civilian life, the Caboolture Court heard in September.
He pleaded guilty to violently assaulting his pregnant partner on two separate occasions in February and March, 2020.
The court heard Williams could be volatile when woken abruptly as a result of his time in the military, and so when his 15-week pregnant partner woke him up he struck her in the head.
The court then heard that when the woman blocked Williams from exiting the room, he punched her in the face.
When police arrived, the woman had a blood lip, swelling and bruising on her face and scratches on her right arm.
The violent scenes followed an earlier assault on the woman while the pair were on a boat at Sandstone Point and Williams punched her in the face.
The court heard Williams was previously married for eight years and, during that time, there were no reported incidents of domestic violence.
That all changed, however, when Williams started using meth.
According to Williams’ lawyer, methamphetamines exacerbated his temper and strongly contributed to his domestic abuse.
He was sentenced to five months jail to be immediately suspended for each of the assault occasioning bodily harm (domestic violence) charges.
He also pleaded guilty to two contraventions of a domestic violence order linked to the assault occasioning bodily harm charges and was convicted and not further punished.
He was ordered to serve 15 months probation for a further contravention of a domestic violence order and breaching bail.
STEVEN MICHAEL LUXFORD
Former special forces soldier Steven Michael Luxford, 37, was jailed over the repeated abuse of his ex-partner, who he horrifically assaulted over two years and strangled when she tried to leave him.
The Brisbane District Court heard Luxford physically and emotionally abused his ex-partner slamming her into walls and bedheads, spitting on her and threatening to “bury her in a shallow grave” if she tried to flee the relationship.
During a profound statement Peta-Ann Krogh, 36, detailed how Luxford had “literally taken her voice” after he choked her until she blacked out.
Ms Krogh said during their relationship Luxford would make her dress for work in the garage if she did not “give him what he needed” and faked having terminal cancer when she tried to leave him.
Luxford, of North Lakes, pleaded guilty to 14 charges including choking, common assault, assault occasioning bodily harm, making threats and wilful damage he committed while in a relationship with Ms Krogh between 2015 and 2017.
Barrister Damian Walsh said a psychologist had found a “significant link” between Luxford’s offending and post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
The court heard Luxford witnessed 82 rocket attacks and was dishonourably discharged from the Australian Defence Force in 2015.
“What he saw was horrific,” Mr Walsh said.
“He was the subject of combat fights … bombs went off around him, bodies to clean up, suicide.
“It is true she has been traumatised by my client’s conduct. But Your Honour has to sentence my client on the basis that he too is traumatised.”
Judge Geraldine Dann said while PTSD was one factor, she agreed with the psychologist that there was “more to it than that”.
She accepted Luxford had taken steps to rehabilitate but said his violence towards Ms Krogh was too protracted to warrant immediate parole.
Luxford was sentenced yesterday to three and a half years’ jail and will be eligible for parole after serving 12 months behind bars.
A domestic violence order was extended until 2025.
TREVOR COLLIN SKODA
A former army officer was taken into police custody and tasered when he became violent during a routine traffic stop at Kallangur this month.
Trevor Collin Skoda, 38, served for seven years in the Australian Defence Force during which time he was deployed to assist countries affected by the 2004 tsunami.
In civilian life, however, Skoda was pulled apart by the dual tides of drug addiction and alcoholism.
During a sentencing hearing at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court, the court heard Skoda was pulled over for speeding on Anzac Ave at Kallangur on November 4.
The police prosecutor told the court Skoda was observed “almost falling asleep in the driver’s seat, with glazed eyes” and the police officer had to ask him twice for a breath test before he responded.
Skoda finally blew into the machine, but as the results were processing, he put his keys in the ignition as if to drive away.
The officer took the keys, prompting Skoda to reach out through the window to slap the Alcometer out of his hand.
A fight ensued, in which Skoda kicked and punched both officers in the neck, chest and leg region, only stopping when presented with a taser.
Skoda told police he’d been drinking and smoking cannabis, and stated he did that “every day”.
Skoda was taken to the Pine Rivers watch house, but the violence didn’t stop there.
Once in a holding cell, Skoda began to loudly bang his head against the door, ignoring police requests to stop.
Two officers at the station tried to move Skoda into a violent detention cell and he lashed out at them, kicking, punching them and grabbing their shirts.
He was finally subdued with the taser and taken to hospital, where he was held under emergency examination authority.
The court heard Skoda had been four times over the legal alcohol limit and had little memory of the event.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of assaulting a police officer, one count of obstructing a police officer and one count of possessing dangerous drugs.
Lawyer for the defence Shaun Kolo told the court his client was scared by how aggressive he had become while under the influence and subsequently stopped drinking and using drugs.
He was sentenced to 40 hours of community service to be completed within six months.
No conviction was recorded.
GLYNN JAMES YOUNG
A Royal Australian Air Force veteran, who served as a flight engineer in the Vietnam War, was pushed to his limits at a meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Bribie Island, the Caboolture Magistrates Court heard.
Glynn James Young, 76, pleaded guilty to assaulting another member of the VVA during a heated board meeting, which Young described as a “set up”.
Both Young and his wife had served as board members of the VVA chapter for more than 20 years, volunteering their time to provide counselling, support and other services to ex and serving military personnel.
The victim told police the group sought to remove Young from the board due to his “aggressive nature towards people”.
Upon learning of the reason behind the special meeting, Young became angry and grabbed both of the victim’s hands and pulled towards him saying, “Do you want to fight me? Come on, have a go!”
The court heard the victim called Young an “arrogant bastard” a number of times, causing Young to feel “very much intimidated by him”.
The president of the group, Roderick Devenish-Meares, tried to intervene, but the altercation escalated to Young punching the victim in the face.
“(Young) was standing over him, both fists closed, yelling obscenities at him,” Sgt Mitchelson said.
Young was fined $300, put on a good behaviour bond for six months and no conviction was recorded.
NICHOLAS HUW PULESTON LONG
A Regents Park army veteran slapped an elderly man in the face and threatened to kill him during a road rage incident in October, the Beenleigh Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday.
Regents Park man Nicholas Huw Puleston Long, 35, was charged with serious assault of a person over the age of 60 when an angry hand gesture triggered his post traumatic stress disorder.
The court heard Long was driving the wrong way out of a carpark at Browns Plains when a 71-year-old man in a nearby car “gesticulated” towards him.
Long saw red, exited his vehicle and stormed up to the victim’s car.
He struck the man in the face through the open car window, hitting him in the upper lip and causing a small laceration, pain and swelling.
“But you didn’t leave it there,” Magistrate Louise Shephard said.
“(The police) say you went further and said, ‘If I see you on the road, I’ll kill you’.”
The court heard Long’s disproportionate response was an automatic reaction born from his extensive army training, learned over 12 years of active service.
Defence lawyer Patrick Horgan of Cridland & Hua Lawyers told the court his client was deployed on multiple tours of south east Asia before he was discharged in 2019 due to both physical and mental illness.
“This happens unfortunately far too often,” Mr Horgan said.
“(Men and women) serve their country and then they’re left with nothing but PTSD and other varying illnesses.”
Mr Horgan said Long made several significant steps to take control of his mental health immediately following the October arrest, citing a lengthy hospital stay and active engagement in an anger management course.
Long pleaded guilty to a total of five charges and was sentenced to 12 months probation.
No convictions were recorded.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
For military members and their families, support and advice is available 24 hours a day through Defence Family Helpline on 1800 624 608. They can also call Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling 24/7 on 1800 011 046.
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