John Collins: Psychiatric report to determine whether Bar Beach rampage was drug-induced

A man who claimed to be the son of an infamous Mexican drug lord threatened to kill his neighbours in what’s been described in court as a “mind snap”. SEE THE VIDEO. 

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The lawyer for a man who went on a rampage at Bar Beach, threatening to kill his neighbours and assaulting police, has told a court his client’s “mind snap” was not the result of drug-induced psychosis, despite admissions of drug use after the incident.

John Peter Collins was due to be sentenced in the District Court at Newcastle on Wednesday for the 2019 assault, but the sentencing was delayed for a third time so a psychiatric evaluation could be completed.

John Collins pleaded guilty to seven offences after a heated stand-off with police at Bar Beach December 2019. Credit: NBN News

Collins, 45, pleaded guilty in September last year to a string of charges, including assaulting police; resisting arrest; aggravated break and enter; common assault; using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention; and entering a building with intent to commit an indictable offence.

Court documents said Collins’ outburst began about 7pm on December 28, 2019, at his apartment block on Memorial Dr, Bar Beach.

“You’re all paedophiles,” Collins yelled at neighbours, according to court documents.

“Everyone’s a paedophile. I’m going to f**k you up and kill you.”

The documents said Collins called out that he was going to “rape the new girl downstairs” because “she’s been flaunting it”.

He then jumped the fence into a private courtyard, entering a unit through an unlocked door and threatening its occupants.

“I’m going to f**k your wife, mate,” he said.

“Get out of my f**king way or I’m going to kill you.”

The documents said Collins kicked in the door to another unit, yelling, “I’m the ultimate fighter and I’m going to kill you c**ts”.

Collins then turned on police who had arrived on scene, punching one officer in the face and kicking another in the ribs.

He swung a wooden baseball bat at officers, yelling, “I’m going to kill all you cop c**ts, the bikies are coming and you’re all going to die.

John Collins pleaded guilty to use of an offensive weapon and aggravated break and enter offences after a stand-off with police at Bar Beach December 2019. Credit: NBN News

“My dad is El Chapo, I am number two, El Chapo is number one.”

It took six police and multiple tasers to restrain Collins, who was then arrested.

On Wednesday, barrister Mark Preece told the court a psychological report determined the attack was not drug-induced.

“(Collins) likely suffers from a major mental illness such as bipolar,” Mr Preece said.

“He was labouring under such a defect of reason ... a mind snap as it were.

“There was no ingestion of illicit substances for some good period prior to the offending.”

But the court heard those findings were at odds with a psychological report by another doctor, who determined the incident was drug-induced.

“He had been on a binge for a number of weeks,” a prosecutor said.

“(In an evaluation) there were admissions to using alcohol, amphetamine and cocaine in the last few weeks and the smoking of cannabis.”

Judge Tim Gartelmann said further evaluation was needed to determine Collins’ mental state at the time of the offence.

Mr Gartelmann said whether or not Collins was mentally ill was likely to determine whether he was sentenced to time behind bars or a community-based order.

Collins will return to court on Thursday to determine a new sentencing date.

The apartment block at Bar Beach where John Collins threatened neighbours and then police.

EARLIER:

‘My dad is El Chapo’: Delayed sentence over Bar Beach stand-off

By Amy Ziniak, October 22, 2020

A man, who had a heated stand-off with police at his Newcastle unit screaming that his dad was El Chappo and that he was the “ultimate fighter”, will have to wait until next year to learn his fate.

John Peter Collins, 45, was due to be sentenced at Newcastle District Court on Thursday but instead it has been pushed back until February next year to gain a specialist doctor’s report, after an appointment could only be made early in 2021.

Last month he pleaded guilty to seven offences including assaulting police and resist arrest, aggravated break and enter, common assault, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention and Enter building with intent to commit an indictable offence.

It was around 7pm on December 28 last year Collins - who was living in an apartment block on Memorial Dr, at Bar Beach - went on a tirade against his neighbours yelling and threatening them.

“You’re all paedophiles. Everyone’s a paedophile. I’m going to f**k you up and kill you,” Collins yelled according to police facts.

When one of the neighbours told him to “pull your head in”, it enraged Collins who continued his rampage screaming he was going to “rape the new girl downstairs” because “she’s been flaunting it”.

The apartment block at Bar Beach where Collins threatened neighbours and then police.

Police facts stated Collins then jumped over the fence and into a private courtyard of a unit before opening the sliding door and walking inside, threatening another neighbour and his wife.

“I’m going to f**k your wife mate. Get out of my f**king way or I’m going to kill you,” he ranted before pushing him out the door and locking it.

Collins then kicked in the door to another unit as police arrived on scene, continuing to yell and scream obscenities.

“I’m the ultimate fighter and I’m going to kill you c**ts,” he said.

According to police facts Collins punched one of the officers to the eye and kicked another in the ribs as they tried to restrain him.

The 45-year-old then ran from that unit back into his own before grabbing a wooden baseball and again threatening police, “I’m going to kill all you cop c**ts, the bikies are coming and you’re all going to die. My dad is El Chapo, I am number two, El Chapo is number one”.

It went on for about 10 minutes before he “rapidly approached” police and swung the bat.

He was tasered numerous times and six officers were needed to restrain him before he was handcuffed and put in to the police vehicle kicking and yelling.