Kieren Grey found guilty in Moorabbin court over threatening to kill two parking inspectors
A man who threatened to kill two Kingston parking inspectors, told the two men he’d “split their heads open,” a court has heard.
South East
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A man who threatened to kill two council workers after a disagreement in a Mordialloc reserve turned nasty has been found guilty in a Melbourne court.
Kieren Grey fronted Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on May 11, facing charges that he threatened to kill two Kingston council workers, following a disagreement over him being illegally parked.
The court previously heard Grey illegally parked across four spots in the Peter Scullin Reserve carpark in Mordialloc on October 30, 2022.
When Grey first appeared on May 8, he told the court he had already been moved along earlier in the day from a boat parking area in Frankston, before driving to the Mordialloc reserve and parking his van and trailer.
The court heard Grey had parked and taken up four spaces for more than an hour before his interaction with the inspectors.
On Thursday, Magistrate Stephen Lee found Grey guilty of the threats to kill the two council workers.
“I found the accounts of the victims credible, compelling and consistent,” he said.
“They recalled specific sentences and the threats in specific detail. Their evidence was corroborative and I believe a consistent account of your behaviour.”
Mr Lee said Grey’s stance on the incident had surprised him.
“I was struck by your characterisation of yourself as the victim” he said.
“I find despite your denials in court, you did use the words attributed to you in the heat of the moment.”
The court heard on the day of the incident, before interacting with the inspectors, that Grey had been parked at the Beach Rd car park for more than an hour.
The court heard Grey saw the inspectors outside his van, before getting out and approaching them.
The court heard the interaction escalated quickly, with Grey approaching the duo with “hostility and aggression”.
“According to the witness, you said, ‘I’m so close to knocking both of you out’,” Mr Lee told the court.
“You said ‘I’ve f**king had enough of you telling me what to do, I’ll f**king kill you all.”
The court heard Grey told the parking inspectors: “Today someone is going to die. I don’t care, I’ve been in jail before, I don’t care if I have to go again.
“If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll get a bat from my van and I’ll split both your heads open, I swear to God”.
The court heard Grey had repeated that sentence several times while moving towards the inspectors, until he was within 1m of them.
The court heard Grey had also acted in an aggressive manner towards the inspectors, punching a closed fist into his opposite hand.
Grey admitted to this in court, but continued to deny that he had threatened to kill them.
“I did have my fists clenched,” he said.
“I punched my hand two or three times. I was irate and angry.”
Mr Lee told the court the inspectors had been affected by Grey’s actions.
“The first witness said he was left pretty shaken up by this,” he said.
“He’s been doing this job for a long time and now he’s concerned for the safety of himself and his colleague.”
Mr Lee firmly encouraged Grey to seek out legal advice before his sentence.
“Mr Grey you should engage with a lawyer to put you in your best light,” he said.
“You’ve got a fair bit of material that could relate to mitigating circumstances.”
Mr Lee is expected to hand down his sentencing on June 8.
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
