Matthew Johnson: Dad’s Casey Hospital threat to kill pregnant mum
A Pakenham father made frightening threats against the woman — who he says he loves — who was about to bear him another child.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A dad threatened to kill his pregnant partner and mother of their baby in the children’s ward of a hospital, a court has heard.
Matthew Johnson went ballistic in the paediatric ward of Casey Hospital when he found Facebook messages he didn’t like on the woman’s phone.
And on another occasion the Pakenham 26-year-old fork lift driver called her in a jealous rage, saying he was going to “cave her head in” and burn her house down.
Johnson pleaded guilty to a series of threat-related charges at the online Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The court heard at around 1pm on December 13 last year Johnson, his partner and their seven-month old daughter were at Casey Hospital in Berwick.
He picked up the woman’s phone, saw some Facebook messages, became irate and started abusing her in a loud voice.
Nurses came running to the room and ushered the frightened female and young child away, asking Johnson to stop screaming and remain calm.
Security was called but he carried on and the woman and child had to be ushered into a locked room for their safety.
Johnson left the hospital but a few minutes later rang the woman and told her she had better come out or “I’m going to shoot you and everyone else there”.
He then said he would burn down their house and “shoot any security guards in my way”.
Police came and when they asked the woman what had happened she said “he gets angry, loses his s**t but is then apologetic”.
Johnson was arrested later that day and bailed.
But three months later, on March 5, he again turned violent.
This time his partner was having a late pregnancy check-up and he was alone with their baby when he called her and demanded she come home immediately.
He said he was going to “cave her head in and kill her”, and burn the house down.
Johnson was again arrested and this time remanded in custody.
His defence lawyer said his client had long-term mental health issues which he was now getting help for.
He said Johnson also had had problems with ice and cannabis in his teens and took “anything and everything” he could get in his hands on when he was in his early 20s.
He had now ceased drug use and since being released from jail in 2018 no longer associated with the same peer group, he said.
Magistrate Costas Kilias sent him to be assessed by community corrections, saying a combination of jail and therapeutic order was a likely outcome.
Johnson was remanded in custody and will face court again on April 14.
