David Birnie fronts court after trashing Parkdale Motor Inn
A man’s wild bender in Parkdale left a hotel room in tatters, a staff member racially abused and a taxi damaged. Find out what set him off.
South East
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A man who, during a wild crime spree, trashed a hotel room, damaged a taxi and loaded up on cannabis claims he was provoked, a court has heard.
David Birnie, 64, appeared in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday August 3, facing a stack of charges including intentionally damaging property, drug possession, criminal damage and possessing a controlled weapon.
Birnie pleaded guilty to all charges, after a particularly chaotic incident in Parkdale saw him arrested.
In February, Birnie checked into Parkdale Motor Inn, where he stayed for six days. When he went to check out, staff realised he had completely trashed the room, with some items being left “beyond repair”.
Room 202 at the motel had significant graffiti and sprays of hot sauce on the walls, as well as significant burn marks to the TV.
Birnie later admitted in a police interview that he had burnt the TV with a jet lighter.
He also admitted to stabbing the fridge.
“I had a good bottle of reserve fall out and smash, so I wasn’t happy,” Birnie said.
“I stuck the knife straight through the fridge, I didn’t care what I did.”
Birnie covered the bedding and carpet with food, cigarette butts and rubbish, after being enraged that staff hadn’t come to clean the room.
“They didn’t come to clean, so I said ‘well bugger you’,” he said.
“They treated me like a pig so I treated their place like a pig.”
Birnie also wrote racist remarks on the walls, regarding one of the motel staff.
“I wrote on the walls with the purple paint ‘Chinese sucks’, cause that’s what she is, she is Chinese,” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, they provoked me.”
When he checked out, Birnie ordered a cab.
After realising he had booked a regular cab, not a maxi-cab, Birnie and the driver began arguing.
When the cabbie refused to order him a maxi-cab, Birnie punched the windscreen of the car, cracking the glass.
The police were called, and arrived to find Birnie with a shopping trolley, holding his bags and a machete.
The drama continued as police were talking with Birnie, and the motel manager approached the group to report the damage Birnie had done.
Birnie admitted to the altercation, and was arrested.
When questioned on the machete, Birnie claimed he had it for “self-defence”.
“I bought it from a girl I met in a rainforest, I thought it would be handy, plus it could be a weapon of defence. I’ve never used it,” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s a self-defence mechanism, for survival.”
Police also found a small amount of cannabis in Birnie’s possession, which he said “some girl gave me after I shouted her a few drinks”.
Birnie was sentenced to 180 days in prison.
