Robert Joseph Keene, 43, convicted of Tasmanian manslaughter, in Logan court for assault of elderly couple

A man jailed for 10 years for the manslaughter of his flatmate in Tasmania has faced the courts again for a parking dispute with an elderly couple that turned violent.

The crime scene of John Douglas Wilson‘s murder in Tasmania in 2009. Robert Joseph Keene was later convicted of manslaughter. Picture: Chris Kidd

A man jailed for 10 years for the manslaughter of his flatmate has faced the courts again for bashing an elderly couple over a parking dispute.

Robert Joseph Keene, 43, was jailed for 10 years in Tasmania for the 2009 death of his housemate, John Douglas Wilson, 43.

Keene, born in Rockhampton, and co-accused Joshua Kyle Tole, then-22, stabbed and bashed Wilson in Georgetown, Tasmania’s north.

Launceston Supreme Court heard the attack lasted for two hours, Wilson was injured with a meat cleaver and a knife, and endured more than 20 punches to the face.

Tole was convicted of murder and sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Keene was again before the courts this week — this time in Queensland — for an attack on an elderly couple in Kippa-Ring in Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, over a minor parking dispute, where he threatened a woman with reference to Wilson’s death.

Beenleigh Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that Keene pushed a 72-year-old woman against a fence on January 10 this year, then stood over her and said “I am a murderer”.

The crime scene of John Douglas Wilson‘s murder in Tasmania in 2009, where Robert Joseph Keene was later convicted of manslaughter. Picture: Chris Kidd

The woman’s 74-year-old husband started writing down Keene’s number plates and Keene punched the man.

The court heard Keene threw the elderly man against a wall then punched him in the side of the head four times.

Keene pleaded guilty to two counts of serious assault of a person over 60.

Queensland Police Senior Constable Cody Jones said the targets of the offending were concerning.

“These were cowardly attacks on vulnerable people in their seventies,” he said.

“He also bragged about past crimes in relation to the manslaughter.”

The court heard Keene suffered from schizophrenia, extreme paranoia and had a difficult childhood in residential care.

Magistrate Michael O’Driscoll said the age of the victims made the attack more serious.

“That sort of assault to anybody of that age is very serious,” he said.

“This was a simple dispute over a parking incident that clearly got out of hand.

“This is completely unacceptable by community standards.”

Keene was sentenced to 15 months prison with a parole release date of June 10, as he had already served 126 days of pre-sentence custody.