Mackay’s troublesome parents named for shocking actions
From a mum who tried to pervert the course of justice to help her son to a dad who spat in a police officer’s face, these Mackay parents have been up to no good. Read the full list here.
Police & Courts
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From a mother of two choking her husband’s former girlfriend at an AFL match, to a father of three spitting in a police officer’s face, there have been parents across Mackay behaving badly.
These are some of Mackay’s poorly behaved mums and dads.
Brian John Darby
A man with a history of drunken “violence”, “belligerence” and contempt for authority spat at a policeman’s face, telling him “I have golden staph”.
The court heard police were called to a Boddington Street home about 3am where a drunk Brian John Darby was “swinging an object around, making a nuisance of himself”.
The father-of-three was drunk, resisting police as they tried to escort him to the car.
Prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said as Darby was being searched he told a police officer “I have golden staph” and spat in his face.
Darby pleaded guilty in Mackay District Court to serious assault, public nuisance and possession of property reasonably suspected of being used in connection with the commission of a drug offence.
Darby was sentenced to 18 months jail with a parole release on August 26, 2021.
Todd Wayne Stengord
A Mackay father who unleashed a shocking attack on the mother of his children choking her four times avoided spending any time behind bars.
She had told the 33 year old she wanted to separate.
“What followed was a protracted incident,” Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke told Mackay District Court.
Over a five to 20 minute window on May 24, 2020, Todd Wayne Stengord choked his partner four times.
“And on three separate times covered her face, or her mouth and nose with his hand, restricting her or preventing her from breathing,” Ms O’Rourke said.
On the last time she felt like she was going to pass out, and the next thing she remembered she was on the floor.
On July 19, 20201, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of choking and common assault, but escaped spending any time in jail despite the court having a default position that choking offenders should serve some time in custody.
Stengord was jailed for two years, wholly suspended for three years.
He must also complete 150 hours of unpaid community service.
Convictions were recorded.
Graeme Wayne Webb
A RoadTek Mackay senior supervisor raped and sexually assaulted a drunk woman during a party after cleaning up her vomit.
Graeme Wayne Webb had been well aware of his younger victim’s intoxication when he took advantage of her vulnerable state, Mackay District Court heard.
The incident occurred in 2019 in a Central Queensland town, west of Mackay.
Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence said the woman had been helped to her room where she had woken up a few times, vomited and gone back to sleep.
Webb had entered her room and started to clean up her vomit, including wiping between her legs and near her genital region.
The court heard he kissed her lips and her body before removing her clothing and underwear.
Webb then orally raped her.
The court heard he went to the bathroom at one point before returning to his offending behaviour.
Webb, 62, pleaded guilty to rape, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault.
The father of two was jailed for three years to serve nine months in jail.
The remaining two years and three months will hang over his head for five years.
Vicki-Marie Phillipi
A woman was jailed for her role in a burglary at an Airlie Beach backpackers hostel that involved a hammer and knuckle dusters.
The court heard a woman was staying in Airlie Beach in June 2020 when Vicki-Marie Phillipi and another woman entered the room, closing the door behind them.
The mother-of-two pleaded guilty in Mackay District Court to burglary and possessing property suspected of having been used in connection with the commission of a drug offence.
Phillipi was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail, with parole in November this year.
Mother has sex with mentally impaired teen
A Mackay mother who unlawfully had sex with a mentally impaired teen tried to blame her victim over her vile crime.
He was 17 years old with the intellectual age of a seven year old.
She was friends with his mother and treated him like a son.
The woman and teen had been drinking a lot when he went into her Mackay bedroom looking for a lighter on August 9, 2019.
After some conversation, she unlawfully had sex with him.
She was kicked out of the house and all her belongings were set on fire, which is what drew police attention on the night and how her crime came to light.
The 44 year old pleaded guilty in Mackay District Court earlier this year to unlawful carnal knowledge of a person with a mental impairment.
She had spent 85 days in custody, which was declared time already served, when she appeared in court in July.
Judge Julie Dick jailed the woman for three years with immediate parole eligibility, to take into account the lengthy delays with the parole board.
A conviction was recorded.
Father assaults six-year-old son for ‘being gay’
A man had a violent outburst towards his six-year-old son over a suspected sexual act before he choked the boy’s mother until she passed out.
The Mackay father-of-three — who will be out of jail just before Christmas — bashed his young son after walking in on him sitting on another boy’s lap in what he thought was a “sexual engagement”.
The 28-year-old landscaper became enraged, striking his eldest son repeatedly and throwing him to the ground.
The horrific act on August 16, 2020 caused a number of bruises to the child’s leg, triggering a spate of domestic violence which broadened to target the mother of his children.
Mackay District Court heard the landscaper had yelled at his sons saying “being gay is wrong”, and “if they were adults I would have killed them”.
The father then pushed the mother against a wall, grabbing at her neck and face, telling her “you better f**k me after this”.
The man in August this year pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, choking, attempting to pervert justice, and five counts each of common assault, contravening a domestic violence order and police protection orders.
Judge Tony Moynihan sentenced the man to three years in jail with a parole release date on December 18, 2021.
The father had already spent 371 days in pre-sentence custody.
A conviction was recorded.
Jessica Elizabeth Mecner-Murray
A young Mount Pleasant mother pinned a paramedic to a chair with her foot before unleashing a barrage of savage kicks to her groin and thighs.
A Queensland Ambulance Service crew was called to the Dingo Beach hotel where the 24 year old was acting out after taking a cocktail of drugs.
Jessica Elizabeth Mecner-Murray had ingested ice and LSD on July 12 last year and was so violent, police were also called to help paramedics.
When officers arrived Mecner-Murray was calm and resting in the back of the ambulance – but on the way to the hospital her behaviour spiralled as the paramedic was asking questions.
Police were able to restrain Mecner-Murray, who attempted to bite the officers and also kicked one cop in the chest with force.
She pleaded guilty in August 2020 to serious assault of a public officer, assault police, possessing used drug item an other offences.
Mecner-Murray was jailed for three months, wholly suspended for two years.
She was also placed on 12 months probation and handed a four-month good behaviour bond under which she must attend a drug assessment and education session.
Convictions were recorded.
Ian Richard William Rolingson
A security guard was called in to keep the peace in a Mackay courtroom in scenes akin to a Jerry Springer or Judge Judy episode.
Ian Richard William Rolingson, 37, faced Mackay District Court on May 17 this year on domestic violence-related charges including choking his former girlfriend until she could not breathe.
With a large head tattoo and wearing board shorts, the father of five swore intermittently from the dock while his family members insisted he behave.
While the court was adjourned to confer with the victim, the man called his former partner names and told police officers to “f--- off”.
The court heard Rolingson went to the victim‘s grandmother’s house to collect their five-week-old son in contravention of the order on September 15, 2021.
She said tempers flared on both sides when the woman told her former partner to leave.
The woman threw some of Rolingson’s belongings over the fence and he called her a “s*ut”.
The court heard Rolingson then lunged forward, grabbed her throat and choked her until her eyes burned and she could not breathe.
He then bit her lip and pushed her backwards.
Rolingson pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, choking, and contravening a domestic violence protection order.
He was sentenced to three years jail, to be released on parole on March 16, 2022.
James William Corrigan
A man must now live his whole life completely blind in one eye after a Mackay drug dealer reached into his car and punched him so hard in the face that it ruptured his eyeball.
After the victim drove himself to hospital to get some help, perpetrator James William Corrigan sent nasty messages to him such as, “f--- your eye c —t, you got off lightly with that”.
Almost half a year later, the father-of-two was busted during the major Operation Romeo Suitcase sting in Mackay, where he was caught with a large amount of pure meth, just shy of 24g.
Corrigan pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Supreme Court on August 3 this year to 11 offences including grievous bodily harm, possessing over 2g of methylamphetamine, drug supply, enter premises with intent, among others.
He was sentenced to cumulative periods of 3.5 years imprisonment for the GBH and 2.5 years for possessing meth, totalling six years.
He was ordered to forfeit the drugs and was convicted and not further punished on all other offences, with Justice Graeme Crow ruling Corrigan’s spent time in custody was enough.
Convictions were recorded.
Elizabeth Turner
A woman who helped her fugitive son flee the country one month before his drug smuggling trial will spend two years behind bars for her offending which “struck at the very heart” of the justice system.
Elizabeth Anne Turner, 66, was found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice and perjury after she offered $520,000 to help her son get bail, then bought him a yacht that he sailed to the Philippines.
Turner, 66, appeared in Brisbane District Court on November 2 last year via video from Townsville Correctional Centre where extraordinary details of the elaborate ruse were aired.
The court heard Markis Scott Turner was arrested in Mackay in 2011 and accused of heading-up a major cocaine importation syndicate.
He was granted bail after his mother offered $450,000 surety and a $70,000 cash deposit.
But one month before he was due to face trial for cocaine smuggling, trafficking and possession, he disappeared.
Turner later told a supreme court that she believed her son had taken his own life, but authorities detained Mr Turner in the Philippines in 2017.
On February 22, 2021, Turner was sentenced to four years’ jail with a non-parole period of two years.
Mr Turner was expected to be handed over to Australian authorities after a Manila Regional Trial Court blocked his appeal last year which requested the court stop his extradition.
Aaron Thomas Pitt
A convicted drug trafficker with an “appalling criminal history” was sent back to jail for repeated offending while on parole.
In 2018, the Mackay father of three was jailed for four years and released on parole after serving about four months.
But Mackay Magistrates Court heard the Parole Board reversed its decision and issued a returned to prison warrant for Aaron Thomas Pitt.
The 47 year old had been a passenger in a vehicle travelling south that was intercepted in the Gladstone region and was busted possessing a torch/taser and used scales on June 10, 2020.
The following day Pitt was caught in Brisbane with 1.7 grams of methylamphetamines.
He pleaded guilty to three charges including possessing a category R weapon.
Pitt was jailed for nine months with parole eligibility on November 20, 2020.
Convictions were recorded.
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