Michael Wayne McLennan pleads guilty to sexual assault, hailed ‘victim’ for knife possession

Dark past revealed: A Chinchilla man who made headlines for an ‘unfair’ weapons offence and garnered support from high-profile MP Bob Katter, committed the crime while on a suspended jail sentence for a sex offence.

Picture: Kate McCormack

A Chinchilla man known as ‘Cowboy’ was back before court for a weapons offence, but it certainly wasn’t the 72-year-old man’s first rodeo with the justice system.

The well-known elderly man, Michael Wayne McLennan, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in the Chinchilla Magistrates Court on July 22.

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins said the Queensland Police Service offered no evidence in relation to another two sexual assault charges, resulting in them being dropped.

While serving a suspended jail sentence for the sex crime, the former rodeo and campdraft rider was back before the court after being caught carrying a pocketknife at a pub on Saturday, August 7.

The publicly-denounced move to charge McLennan with the possession of a knife caught the attention of controversial MP Bob Katter.

Mr Katter said McLennan’s weapon conviction inspired him to “call on everyone who has a drop of Australian blood in their veins” to fight for their freedom to carry a pocketknife – especially in regional Queensland.

“It was nearly unbelievable to think that one of the most iconic images of an Australian is now punishable in court with a fine,” Mr Katter said.

“We Queenslanders have proudly worn a knife on our belt for 40,000 years.”

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins said McLennan caught the eye of officers because he’d left the pub and jumped behind the wheel of a car.

Sergeant Hutchins said although McLennan recorded a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit during the roadside test, at the station he recorded under.

McLennan told the court he had carried the knife on his belt for his entire life and it had never been an issue.

During his court appearance, Magistrate Kerri O’Callaghan told the retired man he couldn’t carry a knife unless working, and that he needed to be wary of committing any further crimes because he was at risk of breaching his suspended sentence.

The court heard elderly man had two pages of criminal history, which included a spate of stealing offences from 2020.

Chinchilla police acting officer-in-charge sergeant Ross Olsen said the legislation existed for a reason and no particular individual was exempt from the law.

“He had no reasonable excuses to carry the knife into the pub. He wasn’t working and he pleaded guilty to it for that reason,” he said.

The Weapons Act 1990 states the lawful possession of a knife includes work duties, sport, recreation, and lawful entertainment.

Knife crime steadily increased across the state since 2016.

In 2020 Queensland Police Service statistics indicated the number of people carrying knives was at a five-year high.

On August 28, McLennan pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public place, was fined $100, and had the operational period of his suspended sentence extended for 14 days.

His suspended sentence is set to expire in August, 2021.

Originally published as Michael Wayne McLennan pleads guilty to sexual assault, hailed ‘victim’ for knife possession