Joel Alexander Grimes: Love triangle ‘snowballs’, ending in carving knife chase

Intimate text messages between a man and his neighbour’s partner sparked an altercation, which resulted in one man chasing the other with a large carving knife. Here’s what a magistrate had to say about the incident.

A Wollongong man who romanced his neighbour’s partner and then chased him with a carving knife has learnt his fate in court.

Joel Alexander Grimes, 33, faced multiple charges in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday including using an offensive weapon with the intention of committing an indictable offence, destroying or damaging property (less than $2000), possessing a prohibited drug and cultivating a prohibited plant.

The confronting incident occurred around 6pm on Thursday, July 21, 2021, when the victim, who knew Grimes as ‘Grimsey’, was cooking on the barbecue at the back of his Wollongong unit.

Grimes yelled “F*** you c***, court is accusing me of raping your missus” as the man turned and saw his neighbour coming towards him wearing a black balaclava and holding a large carving knife while two other men stood 20 metres further back.

The victim uttered “Hey, what are you doing? Take it easy man … What are you doing with a knife?“ before bolting and jumping onto his first-floor balcony.

The victim’s partner was cooking inside and went to the front door once she’d heard the commotion.

She managed to lock the screen door just as Grimes got to the front of the unit.

Grimes was sentenced for multiple charges including using an offensive weapon. Picture: Facebook

“I’m calling the police,” the partner yelled which led Grimes to run to the back of the block towards the car park.

The scene unfolded in front of another neighbour who witnessed the shocking incident as they puffed away at a cigarette on their front porch.

As police were called, the couple heard a smashing against their laundry window and when they went to look they saw a brick had been thrown at the partner’s car.

Shortly after 8am on August 20, detectives attended Grimes‘ unit and placed him under arrest.

“I’ve been having trouble with those c**** for weeks,” Grimes told the police.

He wouldn’t allow police to access his phone because “There’s stuff on there I don’t want you to have”.

Police seized a black-handled knife fitting the victim’s description in Grimes’ kitchen as well two vials of testosterone, an Optus mobile phone and a 85cm tall cannabis plant.

The scan of Grimes phone revealed his flirtations with the victim‘s unfaithful partner with the woman sending a “getting ready” to the offender four days before the carving knife pursuit.

“C u soon darl,” Grimes replied.

He received an “Xxx” in return.

In one messaging back-and-forth they bickered about a “spent or misplaced” $100 and in another, on July 27, they called each other ”Darlin” and exchanged “xxxoog”.

The victim caught wind of the budding relationship between his partner and Grimes and on Thursday, August 12, he messaged the latter “I found out that you raped my missus”.

Grimes was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.

“She’s going to the police,” he continued.

“You’re in trouble … How could you do this to us.”

Grimes was not charged with sexually assaulting the victim’s partner.

In court on Wednesday, Magistrate Claire Girotto described the knife chase as “pretty frightful” before hitting Grimes with a 18-month community corrections order and eight-month intensive corrections order.

“I can see how it snowballed,” Ms Girotto said.

“Despite what crap went down, what you did was completely unacceptable.”

The magistrate also ordered Grimes complete 100 hours of community service, report to Wollongong Police Station and continue to engage with the Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group.

The apprehended violence order between Grimes and the victim, which was established in the wake of the incident, will continue for two years and will extend to the victim’s partner.