Zane Edward Smallwood sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for overnight Garbutt siege

A Townsville man lit a fire inside a woman’s home while in the middle of an eight and a half hour standoff with police.

Townsville Magistrates Court: Zane Edward Smallwood sentenced for overnight Garbutt siege. Picture: Facebook

A man barricaded himself inside someone else’s home and initiated a terrifying overnight siege with police before lighting a fire while still inside the residence.

Zane Edward Smallwood appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court via video link from Capricornia Correctional Centre on Monday morning.

Police prosecutor Lisa Plessius told the court that on October 27 last year, police went to a Garbutt home as they believed the man who had a return to prison warrant against him was there illegally.

When police arrived furniture throughout the house had been rearranged and they found the 40-year-old with a large axe telling the authorities to leave before they draw a firearm and taser, the court was told.

The prosecutor said police were made aware there were other people in the home and through brief negotiation they were escorted out of the home by authorities.

“He barricaded himself inside initiating a siege that lasted eight and a half hours until 2am the next morning,” Ms Plessius said.

All emergency services were on scene.

“He used liquid accelerant to douse property at the front door of the residence,” the prosecutor said.

Smallwood lit the fire causing damage to shoes, tools and other household items however the flames were extinguished before it was able to spread further, the court was told.

The prosecutor said the man had a history of violence having been on a suspended sentence for common assault at the time of the siege, and also having been sentenced in 2017 to five years imprisonment for grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning bodily harm.

Defence lawyer Tim Fedorowytsch from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Legal Services said the man who was unemployed at the time had also used methamphetamine.

“Further to that he had a recent death in the family which hit him particularly hard,” his lawyer said.

“While there’s no excuse, his mental state was he was feeling not only grief but like his life was going nowhere, he felt like had no way out.

“Unfortunately he made the atrocious decision to use methamphetamine which added to the seriousness of the offence.”

Magistrate Viviana Keegan emphasised the “terrifying” nature of the siege, especially for those in the house.

Smallwood pleaded guilty to serious obstruction of police while armed and wilful damage.

He was sentenced to 18 months jail and given a parole released date of March 31, 2025.

The two and a half months the man had spent in pre-sentence custody was taken into account but not declared.

Originally published as Zane Edward Smallwood sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for overnight Garbutt siege