Andrew Booth pleads guilty to threatening to kill a stranger

An Inverloch man has blamed an expletive-laden tirade of abuse on a stranger who invited him into his home on two glasses of wine.

A San Remo man who has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a stranger has blamed his “bizarre” behaviour on alcohol.

An Inverloch man who threatened to kill a stranger has blamed his “bizarre” behaviour on drinking two glasses of wine.

Andrew Booth, 50, pleaded guilty in Korumburra Magistrates’ Court on January 13 to one charge of threatening to kill.

The court heard Booth was walking his dog past the victims house in Inverloch at 7:30pm on November 16, 2019.

Booth, who had never met the victim before, knocked on his door and had a conversation about knowing the previous owner of the victims house.

The victim invited the accused inside his home to have a glass of wine but Booth’s behaviour changed dramatically once he was inside.

Booth became aggressive towards the victim and started asking personal questions.

He became enraged when the victim refused to answer his questions.

The victim had an injured knee and Booth accidentally touched it.

The victim told Booth not to go near his knee but Booth grabbed it and pressed down.

Booth then pulled the victims cheeks and said “You’re going to die you c***”.

He then placed his face in the victims lap.

Booth went to the bathroom and unscrewed the taps from the sink and put them in his pocket.

The victim asked for the taps back and Booth agreed.

The victim managed to get Booth near the front door where Booth said “You’re f***ing dead, I will kill you, you f**king c***”.

Booth grabbed the victim again and pushed his head and said “You get back in there and shut that f**king door or you’re f**king dead”.

Both men consumed two glasses of wine each throughout the incident.

Booth’s lawyer Anthony Rosenhain said the threats were “serious” but Booth had a history of depression, anxiety and mental health issues.

“The circumstance of this offence is bizarre to say the least,” Mr Rosenhain said.

“He recalls very little of what occurred.”

Booth said it was likely the alcohol he drank had an adverse affect on his mental health medication.

The matter was adjourned to January 27 at Korumburra Magistrates’ Court.

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