Mitchell Bennett Byrne charged over alleged Gympie stabbing

Footage has been released of the moment a Gympie man was arrested after an alleged daylight stabbing and car-stealing attempt near a primary school. VIDEO.

A man charged with multiple crimes in connection with an alleged stabbing in Gympie will remain behind bars on remand after declining to apply for bail.

Mitchell Bennett Byrne, 30, was in custody and did not appear in person at Gympie Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning as his matter was mentioned.

Mr Byrne and co-accused Tamika Rae Geiger are alleged to have stabbed 47-year-old Tamaree man Brent Lothian at his Pine St home in the early afternoon of Wednesday, March 23.

The court was almost entirely vacant when Mr Byrne’s case was mentioned, with no friends or family making an appearance in the public gallery.

Mr Byrne made no application for bail.

His matter was adjourned until July 18, 2022.

In a statement released after Mr Byrne’s arrest Tuesday, police alleged he obstructed police after a short foot chase on River Rd after a tip-off from the public. No one was injured.

He is charged with one count each of armed robbery in company/using personal violence and grievous bodily harm, two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, obstruct police, possessing a knife in public and failing to dispose of a needle.

The alleged stabbing occurred at a home in Pine St, several hundred metres from a primary school on March 23, 2022.

A second person allegedly involved in the daylight stabbing of Brent Lothian has been arrested and taken into custody. Photo: Queensland Police

Ms Geiger, 25, claimed at her curt appearance on Friday, March 25 another person at the scene was the one with the knife.

She appeared in Gympie Magistrates Court but did not enter a plea as she made an application for bail.

She is charged with armed robbery, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, grievous bodily harm, possessing utensils, possessing dangerous drugs and failing to properly dispose of a syringe.

Mr Lothian was hospitalised with a punctured lung following an altercation at the Gympie address on Wednesday.

Duty lawyer Laura Nightingale told the court Geiger claimed a male at the scene was the one who allegedly stabbed Mr Lothian.

Tamika Geiger, 25, claimed she did not stab Brent Lothian, but that another man allegedly did. Photo: Facebook

However, police prosecutor Melissa Campbell, said CCTV footage allegedly showed Ms Geiger’s involvement in the altercation.

The court heard Mr Lothian was invited to the Pine St home, where Ms Geiger lived.

She and another person allegedly asked Mr Lothian if he had any drugs and he replied that he didn’t.

It’s alleged Ms Geiger was involved in trying to steal Mr Lothian’s car and that her male accomplice produced a knife.

Mr Lothian escaped through a window but was stabbed in the chest, allegedly by the male, who punctured Mr Lothian’s lung.

Detectives combed the scene of the Pine St stabbing on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.

Ms Nightingale said her client, who had a five-year-old son, did not intend on returning to the Pine St address out of fear.

Instead, she planned on living with her mother and son at Woombye.

The court heard Ms Geiger had an extensive history of breaching bail, which Magistrate Chris Callaghan said was in excess of 25 times.

As a result, she was denied bail, and will reappear in Gympie Magistrates Court on May 23.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said on Friday no one else had been charged in relation to the incident.

Police have alleged Brent Lothian was stabbed when a couple known to him tried to steal his car.

In a media statement released on Thursday, police alleged Ms Geiger and the male ran from the scene.

The victim then took himself to the Gympie Hospital, but was treated at the hospital and then taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital ICU where he remained in a stable condition on Friday.

A Pine St resident, who preferred not to be named, told the Gympie Times they heard a screeching of tyres and noticed the smell of burnt rubber, before police swarmed the street.

Police have called for anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to come forward.

Investigations are ongoing.

Originally published as Mitchell Bennett Byrne charged over alleged Gympie stabbing