Simon John Hickey jailed for manufacturing and possessing weapons

An electrician was found with a car which deployed weapons and could cover its licence plates to hide from police.

A Brisbane electrician will spend Christmas in jail after he was found with a James Bond-like car that could deploy weapons and conceal its licence plates.

Simon John Hickey appeared by audiovisual link in Tweed Heads Local Court on Friday.

He previously pleaded guilty to possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence and possessing a prohibited weapon without permit.

An extra charge of manufacturing a prohibited weapon without a permit was added, to which Hickey pleaded guilty.

Hickey was previously sentenced for the offending, however the aggregate sentence of three years in jail was appealed on severity grounds in the District Court and returned to the Local Court to hear.

Magistrate Annette Sinclair detailed the events from August 28, 2019, where Hickey was found with a drivers licence with his photo and a different name which Queensland licence authorities had no record of.

On examination of the car he was driving, police found a number of caltrops – sometimes known as road spikes – that had been affixed to the car in a way that they could be deployed from inside the vehicle.

Ms Sinclair said an examination of his phone showed photographs of individual caltrops.

Brisbane man Simon John Hickey has been sentenced in Tweed Heads Local Court for a number of weapons offences. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The vehicle was also fitted with a device that allowed Hickey to cover his number plate from inside the car, making it more difficult for police to identify the vehicle or the driver.

She said the most serious offence was possession of the caltrops as their deployment could lead to serious injury of other road users.

Defence barrister Ben Barrack told the court his client’s offending was a mistake of law as caltrops were not considered a prohibited weapon in Queensland.

Mr Barrack detailed Hickey’s upbringing which was filled with violence and resulted in symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.

He said in a previous sentencing assessment report Hickey had focused on his beliefs and rights and tried to minimise his offending, however a newer psychologist’s report showed he had gained insight and become more remorseful.

Ms Sinclair accepted the offending was motivated by self-protection and hyper-vigilance and although he had a record of similar offending there was no level of actual violence.

She said there were special circumstances due to his mental health.

Hickey was sentenced to 18 months in jail with 10 months non-parole back dated to May 13.

He will be eligible for parole on March 12, 2022.