Former criminal colleague of Chopper Read attacked neighbour over spying claim
A former mate of notorious criminal Chopper Read faces a lengthy jail term for a string of offences including attacking a “spying” neighbour, punching his girlfriend and riding a motorbike while disqualified and high on ice.
South East
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A career criminal who once hung around with Chopper Read bashed his boarding house neighbour because he thought he was spying on him.
The Seaford man also punched his girlfriend in the face, threw paint on cars, stole booze from a bottle shop and drunkenly called schoolgirls “sl--s” in a Frankston street.
He also threatened a man with a knife, was caught riding a motorbike while disqualified and high on ice, breached court orders and was arrested for being drunk in a public place.
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David Knight appeared by videolink at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on January 17 pleading guilty to 16 charges, including recklessly cause injury and unlawful assault.
The court heard Knight, 56, had been having problems with a neighbour at their Seaford boarding house units.
On October 4, 2017, he’d had enough, and threatened to kill the other man, who he believed had been spying on him and his partner through a roof cavity, with a knife.
He asked the boarding house management to move him or the neighbour, but they didn’t, and on October 25 he crash-tackled the man to the floor, breaking his collarbone, before punching him in the head.
A month later he was caught on dashcam throwing green paint on two other neighbours’ cars, which he said he did because he thought they had stolen his kayak.
He also pleaded guilty to hitting his partner, scaring young girls by calling them “sl--s” as they walked along a shopping strip, stealing grog from Dan Murphy’s and drug-driving in Carrum Downs.
In court his defence lawyer said Knight had a tragic upbringing, was an alcoholic and had had “heavy” drug abuse issues.
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She said he spent his teenage years on the streets of St Kilda, associating with criminals such as Mark ‘Chopper’ Read.
She said he distrusted police and “took the law into his own hands” when confronted by stressful situations.
Magistrate Dominic Lennon said the offending was extremely serious and he was considering a lengthy jail term.
He said Knight had “set himself up as judge, jury and executioner” and by his age, he should have developed coping mechanisms.
He will sentence Knight, who has been on remand since October 21 last year, on January 30.
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