Judge scolds Keith Wass for wearing a pasta colander to Chewbacca Thredbo assault case
A man who bashed a ski resort manager while wearing a Chewbacca costume has turned up to court in an even weirder get-up.
A man who bludgeoned a ski resort manager with a snowboard while wearing a Chewbacca outfit has pleaded not to be sent to jail out of fear of being violently targeted for wearing a pasta colander on his head.
A District Court judge scolded Keith Wass’ “religious” beliefs as “absurd” as the 54-year-old faces being sent to prison having pleaded guilty to a bizarre assault at Thredbo Resort in 2017.
His lawyers on Thursday asked for him to be sentenced to an intensive corrections order rather than be sent to jail because he was an adherent to the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Wass, from Blaxland, arrived at Sydney’s Downing Centre wearing white and red colander on his head and continued to sport the kitchen utensil as he sat in the dock.
Barrister Peter Pearsall told Judge Garry Neilson that his client was a Pastafarianism and argued that Wass would be targeted in jail because of his views – which he says requires him to wear a colander as headwear.
“He’s a person who attracts adverse comments and adverse attention and perhaps violence,” Mr Pearsall said.
“He wears a colander on his head. It’s not something that he’s just started believing in.”
However Judge Neilson retorted: “It’s absurd, ridiculous behaviour.”
“He believes in that church,” Mr Pearsall said.
“It’s not a church,” Judge Neilson snapped back.
Wass has pleaded guilty to recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm to Kosciuszko Thredbo general manager Jordan Rodgers.
The stoush began when the resort received two complaints from concerned parents about Wass’ behaviour after he was seen on the ski fields wearing a Chewbacca costume.
“I wondered about the appropriateness of him encouraging young people to have their photos taken with him,” said one email which was included in an agreed statement of facts.
Another said: “I felt uncomfortable with the way (Wass) engaged with my children.”
On August 12, 2017, Wass was seen by Mr Rodgers near the resort’s chairlift in his Star Wars get up.
A heated argument broke out between the pair when Mr Rodgers told Wass: “we’ve had complaints that kids are getting scared”.
When Wass was told that his pass was being revoked, he struck Mr Rodgers on the left side of the head with his snowboard, knocking him to the ground, before standing over him and striking him several more times.
Mr Rodgers suffered facial wounds and three broken teeth and had to undergo surgery to remove a tooth fragment which was buried in his lower right lip.
The court heard that Wass suffered from schizophrenia – however Judge Neilson questioned that diagnosis.
Mr Pearsall told the court that Wass found skiing and attending the resort “therapeutic”, helpful in treating his mental health conditions and aided him to interact socially.
He also said there was no basis for the ban and that Wass had reacted violently because of his problems with authority.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Pearsall said.
“Purely on the set of circumstances, and I don’t want to trash Thredbo, but they handled it badly.”
The matter will return to court in November.
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