Shane Anthony Prestwidge pleads guilty to Gladstone chainsaw attack

A 71-year-old man ‘thought he was going to die’ as two men terrorised him with a chainsaw, a court has heard.

A 71-year-old man was pinned to a chair and threatened with a running chainsaw in a ‘vigilante’ attack believed to be over drugs, a court has heard.

Shane Anthony Prestwidge, 48, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court on Friday to burglary, serious assault, and assault occasioning bodily harm over an attack in September 2020.

The court heard the father-of-two and his former neighbour Gregg Edward Haywood drove to an isolated Gladstone property where the elderly man lived alone in a caravan.

Prestwidge pinned the victim to a chair at which point Haywood allegedly started up a chainsaw and threatened various parts of his body with it, the court heard.

Shane Anthony Prestwidge was sentenced in the Brisbane District Court on Friday. Picture: supplied

Judge Deborah Richards said Prestwidge was an “enthusiastic participant” in a sustained assault.

“The actual violence was perpetrated by your co-accused Mr Haywood, but you were enthusiastically threatening him and assisting Mr Haywood in restraining him, suggesting to Mr Haywood that he cut his arms off,” Judge Richards said.

“Eventually you did tell Haywood to leave the complainant alone, then he (Haywood) dropped a heavy battery on his arm, but it was a sustained assault.”

The 71-year-old man fled to a caravan park where he was chased by the two men until he managed to call the police, the court heard.

Crown prosecutor Alex Baker said the victim “thought he was going to die” during the chainsaw attack.

She said the motive remains imprecise, references were made to drugs during the violent assault.

“In my submission this was a violent reprisal or a vigilante type assault,” Ms Baker said.

Haywood has pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial over the violent incident in August.

Defence barrister Chris Wilson said Prestwidge had turned to heavy drinking and to drugs after the death of father and partner.

Prestwidge had served 288 days in pre-sentence custody.

He was sentenced to three years’ jail and released immediately on parole.