Gold Coast crime: Dad threatened to hunt, kill his own children

A court heard he told his own kids: ‘If you love something, let it go and if it doesn't come back, hunt it down.’

A LANDSCAPER threatened to hunt down and kill his teenage children because they asked him to leave their home.

The 51-year-old threatened to burn down the house and pulled a knife on his 16-year-old daughter.

During a frightening exchange, a court heard he told them: “If you love something, let it go and if it doesn't come back, hunt it down.”

He did not live with the teens or their mother and was visiting the home at the time.

The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the teenagers, pleaded guilty in Southport District Court recently to multiple charges including three counts of making threats and one count of assault.

Judge Michael Williamson sentenced him to 12 months prison with immediate parole release.

The dad has already spent 279 days in custody.

The court was told the dad had gone to the home to collect a letter from the teenagers’ mother to be used in court proceedings.

He got angry when the letter was not ready.

A Gold Coast dad threatened to burn down the house and pulled a knife on his 16-year-old daughter.

The dad had earlier suggested he would burn down the house if she did not provide the letter.

He grabbed a lighter and when his 17-year-old son confronted him, the dad threw the lighter at him, hitting him.

His 16-year-daughter asked him to leave as she was sick.

The court was told he refused and said: “This is my house, I own everything and will leave when I want to.”

He then threatened to hunt them down.

The daughter tried to call police but the dad grabbed a knife from the kitchen, threatening to stab her if she did not hang up.

The dad then told his children he would kill the people they loved and threatened their boyfriend and girlfriend.

He left when the daughter called police who caught up with him that night.

Defence barrister James McNab, instructed by Hannay Lawyers, said the man had suffered from domestic violence as a child.

“My client is a perfect example of the generation domestic violence as well,” he said.

Mr McNab said the man had suffered PTSD after saving children from a house fire in the late 1990s.

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