Opinion: A rare moment of grace in Maryborough courtroom

Court can be shocking and mundane, but sometimes it also brings a rare moment of humility and compassion while shining a light on societal issues, Carlie Walker writes.

Matthew William Birtles pleaded guilty to three counts of public nuisance.

It’s not every day you see grace in our region’s courtrooms.

There are times when it is extremely mundane, times when it is shocking.

But sometimes you get to see real humanity in action and this week was one of those times.

The matter of Matthew William Birtles came before Maryborough Magistrates Court this week.

He’s a repeat public nuisance offender.

The details of his offences are very similar – he yells profanities, creates a lot of noise and I have no doubt it does cause concern and even fear in the community.

I have also heard repeatedly in court that Mr Birtles is homeless and has numerous mental health issues, including bipolar and schizoaffective disorder.

Every time an incident happens it is the police who respond and, sitting in court, one wonders about the holes we have in our social fabric.

Police must ensure our streets are safe and I am not arguing with that, but arresting Mr Birtles doesn’t address the main issue, which is helping him get his medication in order and stopping the issue altogether.

Magistrate John Milburn and police prosecutor Sergeant Sonia Edwards showed a huge amount of compassion towards Mr Birtles in court this week.

Without downplaying the actions that brought him before the magistrate, Sgt Edwards commented on how well he had put himself together to show respect to the court, especially since he is homeless and doing that would not be as easy as it is for other members of our community.

Mr Milburn acknowledged Mr Birtles’ ongoing mental health issues and duty lawyer Morgan Harris was able to detail that struggle with great sympathy.

Mr Birtles was fined $600, an amount that is not small for him but also acknowledged his complicated circumstances.
In the wake of the sentencing, Mr Milburn thanked Sgt Edwards and Mr Harris for their work on the matter.

Most members of the public will never get to see what goes on in court.

We are too busy with our day to day lives to see the terrific work done by the officers of our court, including Hervey Bay magistrate Trinity McGarvie, who is equally fair-minded.

But I saw it as my duty to bring this moment of humility to greater attention.

People like Matthew Birtles could easily be handed greater punishments for his repeated offending, but for the compassion of one court and its officers who see the bigger picture.

I genuinely hope that Mr Birtles gets the help he needs, to make our community feel safer and to stop these repeated court appearances.

And I thank those three people in a Maryborough courtroom who took the time to consider the case and who cared about the outcome.

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Originally published as Opinion: A rare moment of grace in Maryborough courtroom