Kendall Arthur Poole, 40, jailed for 12 years over violent rampage

A teenager was beaten unconscious, while others were threatened with having their throats slit during drugged-up machete-wielding man’s three-day violent Sunshine Coast rampage.

Kendall Arthur Poole’s violent rampage, which spanned three separate incidents over several days in February 2021, began when he attempted to run a woman off the road with her two young children in the back seat. Photo Supplied QLD Police

A 40-year-old man’s violent reign of terror has been exposed in court, including the moment he forced a terrified teen to eat a raw fish – scales and all.

Maroochydore District Court was told Kendall Arthur Poole’s violent rampage, which spanned three separate incidents over several days in February 2021, began when he attempted to run a woman off the road with her two young children in the back seat.

The woman had intervened after she saw Poole attacking a woman and threatened to call the police when he blocked her car’s path and threw a battery at the vehicle, the court was told.

He then followed her in his own car and attempted to run her off the road before dumping his vehicle and fleeing.

The following day, Poole nearly killed a man he knew at his Bribie Island home, punching him and knocking him unconscious while inflicting life threatening injuries. He also assaulted the man’s wife and another person at the scene before fleeing.

Kendall Arthur Poole.

But his violent spree escalated when he approached three sleeping teenagers camping at Coochin Creek, while armed with a machete.

The court was told Poole, who had arrived at the campsite in a tinnie, woke the teenagers up by screaming at them and accusing them of dumping beer bottles into the creek. They denied doing this.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks said Poole proceeded to destroy their campsite, cutting their swags, slashing one vehicle’s tyres and smashing its windows and destroying swag poles.

She said he threatened to “slit (the teenagers’) throats”.

He also ordered one of the teens to eat a raw fish he found sitting in a nearby Esky – scales and all.

“(Poole) effectively told (the teen) if he didn’t eat the head, he would slice him up,” Ms Marks told the court.

“(The victim) thought he would die if he didn’t eat it, so he took a small bite.

Three teens camping at Coochin Creek (pictured) were the final victims of Kendall Arthur Poole before he was arrested. Photo: Brett Wortman / Sunshine Coast Daily

“He vomited and tried to leave to get a drink, but the defendant again threatened to slit his throat if he did and denied him a drink.”

He continued to break beer bottles and damage the teenagers’ property before ordering them to be leave by 8am or he would “return with an army and a machine gun to kill them”. He then stole a number of their belongings, including the teens’ jewellery, watches and a wallet, and violently beat one teenager until he was unconscious.

He then left the scene while the traumatised teenagers ran to help their injured friend and get him medical help.

A woman with Poole at the time was not charged with any wrongdoing, the court was told.

He was later arrested at a nearby house after attempting to flee the property.

Maroochydore Courthouse. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ms Marks described Poole’s actions as a “campaign of terror, fear and violence”.

Defence barrister Scott Lynch tendered two doctors reports to the court and said his client’s offending was rooted in drug use, which was the result of childhood abuse.

Poole had told the doctors he was drunk and under the influence of drugs during all three incidents, the court was told.

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Poole had previously pleaded guilty to 23 charges including four of wilful damage, two of common assault, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, driving unlicensed, assault occasioning bodily harm, malicious acts with intent, three of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, three of deprivation of liberty, three of threatening violence at night and stealing after a previous conviction.

He was given a head sentence of 12 years behind bars, with 760 days declared as time already served.

Originally published as Kendall Arthur Poole, 40, jailed for 12 years over violent rampage