Gus Rumbold pleads guilty to assault with weapon, threatening to kill

A machete-wielding maniac who chased two victims after getting in a fight at Cobram Woolies has been described as “out of control” by a magistrate.

A thug wielded a machete at two men in front of Woolworths in Cobram in January.

An armed thug swung a machete at two men in front of Cobram Woolworth and chased after them following an altercation inside the supermarket.

Gus Rumbold pleaded guilty at the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to making threats to kill and seriously injure, unlawful assault, assault with a weapon, possess a dangerous item and behave in a riotous manner earlier this year.

The 29-year-old was also charged with unlawful assault, assault with a metal pole, property damage, trespassing with intent to steal and theft for offences committed between July and September 2024.

On January 26, about 9.45pm two people were shopping at Cobram Woolworths when they were confronted by Rumbold.

He punched one of the men who defended himself by punching back.

A fight started and Rumbold grabbed one of the victims in a headlock before bystanders stepped in.

The victims finished their shopping and were waiting outside when Rumbold approached them again with a car jack, threatening to kill them.

He put the jack down, walked to a trolley and retrieved a machete from inside it and began to threaten the victims again.

He swung the machete, narrowly missing one of the men before giving chase.

The victims ran away towards the police station, informing officers of the incident who arrested Rumbold a short time later.

Gus Rumbold chased two men with a machete in front of Woolworths Cobram in January.

Magistrate Simon Zebrowski said his comment was glib but asked “do Woolworths have courtesy machetes in their trolleys?”.

He described the scene as “terrifying” and the kind of incident that gave the public “nightmares”.

Mr Zebrowski said the offending was very serious, was not a random attack because he had to have put the machete in the trolley and that Rumbold had not done enough time in prison.

On September 25 Rumbold and a co-accused entered a home while the occupants were away and stole a CCTV camera, bottle of whiskey, passports, phone and soft drinks.

There was also an incident in August were he assaulted and threatened a man in front of police.

On July 11, he was walking on Punt Rd in Cobram about 12.30am when he damaged windows, a screen door and blinds at three properties, as well as the rear window of a vehicle.

Rumbold also hit a man who was walking along the road with a metal pole.

Mr Zebrowski said Rumbold was “out of control on drugs and alcohol” and tried to “downplay” his behaviour.

“With your priors you are just creating victims throughout the community,” he said.

Rumbold was sentenced to 180 days in prison, having served 52 days already, and will be placed on a community corrections order (CCO) once released.

Mr Zebrowski said Rumbold’s future would be “extraordinarily bleak” if he did not take the opportunity offered to him with the CCO.