Marsfield father threatens teen daughter with kitchen knife after heated argument

A father from Sydney’s north threatened his teen daughter while holding a kitchen knife after she became agitated during a drug-fuelled bender, a court has heard.

A 59-year-old father outside Hornsby Local Court after pleading guilty to brandishing a kitchen knife at his daughter following a heated exchange in their home.

A northern Sydney father brandished a 20cm kitchen knife and told his teen daughter he wanted to kill her in a heated exchange relating to drugs, a court has heard.

The father, a delivery driver, who cannot be identified due to his daughter’s age, pleaded guilty to intimidation and faced Hornsby Local Court on Wednesday (April 5).

Facts state the 16-year-old victim came home from a friend’s home only to discover that her cat was trapped in their Marsfield residence at 10pm on April 10 last year.

The victim panicked and called her father who came home to see his daughter in a “hysterical state”, and suspecting she was drug affected, according to facts.

The situation escalated with the daughter yelling as the pair argued about her substance abuse.

The father retreated to his bedroom in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, but heard banging sounds before realised his daughter was “making a mess” in the kitchen.

The victim started abusing her father, calling him “c*nt” after he requested she cleaned the mess.

The father then picked up a 20cm kitchen knife and said “I wish I could kill you,” before putting his arm around the victim in an attempt to remove her from the home.

The victim refused.

Police state the father told his daughter he was going to take her phone as “punishment”, which she again refused.

He then went upstairs and phoned police who arrived at 11pm.

When police arrived, the victim told police she had taken xanax, marijuana and vodka but was coherent enough to explain the events.

Police report the victim as being clearly drug and alcohol affected, slurring her words and struggling to keep her eyes open, before she was conveyed to hospital in an ambulance.

The father was arrested and later told police he picked up the knife to “intimidate and frighten her”.

At Hornsby Local Court, defence lawyer Alexandra Munday said the father was remorseful.

The father was sentenced at Hornsby Local Court.

“He was put in a difficult situation and did his best to get help for his daughter,” Ms Munday said.

Magistrate Alexander Mijovich said the use of a knife was concerning.

“The knife takes the matter to a different level, as soon as you pick it up it changes things,” Mr Mijovich said.

The court heard the father suffered from financial difficulty and had to support four children while paying child support.

“He’s in a difficult position and is doing his best in the circumstances – no parent would like to be in that position with their daughter,” Mr Mijovich said.

Mr Mijovich said he accepted the father had no intention of using the knife, but said jail is a starting point for weapon offences.

“You can’t pick up a weapon in any circumstance,” he said.

Mr Mijovich took into account the father’s minimal criminal record but warned him that any future offending would land him in strife.

“This sentence is right down the order but another domestic matter and the court will completely rethink it,” he said.

He was convicted and sentenced to a conditional release order for 18 months.