Keiron Wilmot sentenced in Coffs Harbour court for intimidation

A woman who was living in her car at Coffs Harbour’s notorious ‘Tent City’ was in ‘extreme fear’ after leaving her vehicle at an Argyll St address. See how the court dealt with the matter which included a ‘skull drag’ threat.

Keiron Wilmot

A Boambee woman has learned her fate after allegedly detaining and threatening a 60-year-old with a ‘king hit’ in an apparent attempt to take her car.

Keiron Wilmot was charged in June last year with stealing from a person (value less than $2000) and demanding property in company with intent to steal, as well as intimidation.

The 31-year-old was found not guilty in August to theft and demanding property, but was found guilty of intimidation.

On the evening of June 8 last year, a co-accused woman allegedly contacted the victim who was living out of her car in a “tent city” in Coffs Harbour, and instructed her to pick her up from an address on Argyll St.

On arrival at Wilmot’s home, the victim was led inside, verbally abused, threatened with a homemade cricket bat, and told to hand over her car keys, which hung from her neck, according to court documents.

Keiron Wilmot

Wilmot stood over the victim and told her “do as you’re told - I will hurt you”, before grabbing the keys from around the neck of the victim, police facts state.

Ushering her into another room, Wilmot told the victim “if you don’t get in here and shut up, I’m going to skull drag you”.

“I’m going to king-hit you - I’m going to hurt you.”

When asked at trial what she thought skull dragging was, the victim responded “I don’t know but it doesn’t sound good”.

A co-accused man then said “just do what you’re told - it’s in your best interests to do what you gotta do”.

The victim witnessed Wilmot take a silver flick knife and conceal it in her pants, before being ushered into a bedroom where a handwritten letter was produced that stated the victim was lending Wilmot and the co-accused her vehicle, a red Ford Falcon.

On seeing that the vehicle was no longer where she had parked it in the driveway of the house, the victim was intimidated into signing the letter under an alias, being told “just sign it, you gotta do what’s good for you”.

The victim’s phone was taken from her, and allegedly used by the co-accused man who referred to himself as the “Coffs Harbour King” to call a third woman, who was told she “had better come and get” the victim.

After being collected from Wilmot’s address, the victim attended Coffs Harbour Police Station, after which a search of the Argyll St address found a cricket bat and a piece of paper with the alias written on it.

Wilmot contested the charges, and in police interviews, denied detaining the victim or demanding that she hand over the vehicle.

In statements to police, Wilmot claimed she wrote the letter to protect the victim in case she was to get any fines as a result of her vehicle being used.

Wilmot was found guilty at trial and sentenced to a 10-month intensive corrections order and 50 hours of community service.

“From all reports, the victim was placed in extreme fear - she was terrified,” magistrate Ian Rodgers said in sentencing.