Michael James Crawford sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for assaulting security at hospital

A couple who claim they pick up cigarettes at Townsville Hospital when they can’t afford them has wound up in trouble following a long dispute with a local security guard.

A man was sentenced in court for abusing a security guard who had prohibited his wife from collecting cigarette butts at Townsville University Hospital.

A man who leaned through a car window to abuse a security guard who was simply “doing her job” in prohibiting the man’s wife from collecting ‘dumpers’ has been sentenced in court.

Michael James Crawford, 49, appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning and despite pleading guilty to his four charges, shook his head in disagreement as the court was told the details of his assault.

Police prosecutor Angela Trevaskis said on August 28 last year at the Townsville University Hospital, a woman employed to patrol the carparks identified a woman who was loitering the premises picking up cigarette butts - an action commonly referred to as ‘collecting dumpers’.

The court was told on that day, the women never made contact.

“She was driving her high visibility security car out of the car park when (Crawford) approached her and began abusing her, yelling words ‘you shouldn’t f--king speak to my wife like that c-nt’,” Ms Trevaskis said.

“He leaned in at the victim’s driver’s side of the window where he repeatedly called her a c-nt.

“She then raised her phone to start recording, he said ‘are you f--king recording me?’ and used a single hand to slap the phone out of her hand.”

The security guard did not sustain any injuries.

The court was told the woman said ‘don’t touch me again, don’t call me a c-nt’ and the man replied ‘what are you going to do? Take a photo of me again and I’ll snap your f--king arms off c-nt’.

As the prosecutor revealed the facts in court, Crawford could be seen shaking his head in disagreement.

Additionally, the court was told that the following month Crawford was intercepted by police on Riverway Drive where he presented positive for methamphetamine and marijuana.

“The most concerning is the common assault charge against a female who was just doing her job,” Ms Trevaskis said.

Defence lawyer Tracey Brown from Resolute Legal agreed with the prosecutor that the victim had only been doing her job when she was assaulted however highlighted there were no injuries.

“He and his wife were regular attendees at the hospital to collect dumpers essentially in circumstances and times when they couldn’t afford cigarettes,” she said.

“His wife and security have had altercations and disagreements over a period of time, his wife has been a long time visitor of the hospital grounds for that purpose.”

Crawford pleaded guilty to common assault, drug driving, failing to appear in court and contravening a direction of a police officer.

He was fined a total of $1000 and disqualified from driving for two months.

Originally published as Michael James Crawford sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for assaulting security at hospital