Billy Skeen: Man denied bail after pulling gun during South Grafton funeral wake
More details have emerged about a “highly charged” Clarence Valley funeral wake, which turned particularly ugly when a young dad pulled out a gun.
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More details have emerged about a wild South Grafton funeral wake, which turned particularly ugly when a young dad grabbed a gun from his partner’s car.
South Grafton man Billy Skeen, 22, appeared in the dock of Grafton District Court, where he made a bid for bail on Wednesday.
The young father previously entered pleas of guilty to affray, threatening to injure a person in company and threatening to injure a person with the intention of committing an indictable offence.
Skeen is not the only member of his family to be involved in the wake incident.
His two older brothers, Jeffrey Skeen and Thomas Skeen, have also been found guilty of charges after the fracas.
In court, Billy Skeen, who has been in custody on remand for 17 months, sought bail to live with his partner and young family at Coffs Harbour.
Court documents state the offending which landed Billy Skeen behind bars on remand, occurred at South Grafton just before midnight on March 11 last year.
The three brothers threatened two other men while attending a wake.
At the time of the offending, Billy Skeen was already on a 15-month intensive corrections order (ICO), which he was sentenced to in 2021 for reckless wounding.
The court heard when the three brothers threatened two victims they used a variety of weapons, including chairs and a hammer.
Billy Skeen took it one step further when he went to his partner’s car and pulled out a gun, which he is charged with using, according to the documents.
Defence barrister Gemunu Kumarasinhe told the court there was a risk Billy Skeen would spend more time in custody on remand than the offending deserved.
The Crown prosecutor said Billy’s offending was more serious than that of his two brothers because it involved the use of a firearm.
“It’s the very serious offence … the use of a firearm in a highly charged incident that makes him different,” he said.
Judge Clive Jeffreys said “it was almost impossible” for him to be satisfied the community would be safe if Billy was released on bail.
He refused bail and listed Billy Skeen’s case for sentence.
Jeffrey Skeen, who pleaded guilty to using offensive weapons, has received a 15-month ICO.
Thomas Skeen, who remains on bail, has pleaded guilty to possessing offensive weapons with the intent to commit an indictable offence and using unlawful violence.
Both Thomas and Billy Skeen are due to be sentenced on October 23.
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Originally published as Billy Skeen: Man denied bail after pulling gun during South Grafton funeral wake
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