Brett William Searle in court for threats and intimidation

A former hospitality worker, who had previously been jailed for an attack using a pool cue, has returned to court after threatening to hurt a pharmacist over prescription drugs.

A 34-year-old former hospitality worker threatened to attack a Cooloola Cove pharmacist after he refused to give him his prescription drugs, a court has heard.

Brett William Searle appeared in Gympie Magistrates Court via video link on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to one charge of making threats to intimidate.

The court heard Searle, who was accompanied by one other person, visited the Sands Centre Pharmacy at Cooloola Cove on March 1 to retrieve recordable prescription medicines, only to be told he could not get the drugs for another week.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said an agitated Searle began making threats to hurt the pharmacist, saying he knew what time the pharmacy closed.

“He stated … he knew what time the store closed and he would assault the victim at his car,” Sgt Campbell said.

Brett William Searle pleaded guilty to one lone charge of making threats to intimidate, after he threatened to attack a pharmacist for not providing him prescription drugs. Photo: Facebook

Searle continued to make threats, including threatening to take money from the till and stock from the store, as well threatening to destroy the store overnight.

“(He said) ‘if you don’t give me the medicine, you won’t have a shop to come back to’,” Sgt Campbell said.

The pharmacist worried he or his female staff members would be attacked by Searle and handed over the prescription medicine with the hopes he would leave, and called police.

Searle was then found in the carpark and arrested.

The court heard Searle had spent 57 days in pre sentence custody.

The court heard Brett William Searle threatened a pharmacist at the Sands Centre Pharmacy, Cooloola Cove, after he said he could not provide Searle with prescription drugs.

Defence lawyer Anna Smith said the medicine her client was after was a “mood stabiliser”, and he had argued with his partner prior to the offence.

She said despite Searle’s threats, he was unarmed at the time.

However, the court heard Searle had previously been convicted of violent offences, including a grievous bodily harm charge from 2015 where he attacked a man with a pool cue.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan said Searle had “bullied” the pharmacist into handing over the drugs.

He was sentenced to six months behind bars, and will be released on parole on April 30, 2022.

Originally published as Brett William Searle in court for threats and intimidation