Sonny James Mooney pleads guilty in Mackay court to going armed to cause fear at Mackay pubs

A solicitor has referred to case law from the 14th century in matters against a client who pulled knives out at two popular pubs and laid one on the bar before asking for a beer.

Kooyong Hotel Mackay.

A solicitor has referred to case law from the year 1328 in matters against a client, who pulled knives out at two popular Mackay pubs.

The move provoked an amused response from Magistrate Damien Dwyer, however it did not result in agreement with the proposed penalty.

Father of four Sonny James Mooney had been standing outside the Kooyong Hotel on April 14, 2024 with a knife in each hand trying to enter the venue.

Mr Dwyer said only the foresight from venue security in gathering everyone inside and locking the doors saved people from “what could have been a horrendous occasion”.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard Mooney then rode his bike over to the Andergrove Tavern where he “put one of the knives on the bar and asked for a beer”, making bar staff feel threatened.

Mooney, 40, pleaded guilty to two counts of going armed to cause fear, as well as wilful damage, stealing after previous conviction and breaching a community service order.

As part of his submissions for Mooney, ATSILS solicitor Daniel Lane handed up case law dating back to 1328.

“Are you going to address me in this language Mr Lane?” Mr Dwyer asked Mr Lane before citing a passage from the file.

Magistrate Damien Dwyer.

“This reference to hanging, drawing and quartering – you’re not going to address me on that are you?”

Mr Lane, amused, said no and noted that type of penalty had since been outlawed.

“It’s interesting reading but that’s about all it is,” Mr Dwyer said, before turning back to Mooney’s case.
The court heard he lived at South Mackay, was unemployed and on a disability pension, and had been in custody for about three months.

“These are very serious cases of going armed to cause fear … that involved people being locked in a build to protect them from a person armed with two knives,” Mr Dwyer said.

Andergrove Tavern (The Grove). Photo Contributed

Mooney had been on parole and a community service order at the time and as a result was not entitled to parole release.

Mr Lane pushed for parole eligibility after serving three months, but Mr Dwyer said no noting Mooney was not young and with his lengthy criminal history – including 23 entries for stealing offences – had ample opportunity over the years to come good but “nothing has seemed to have worked”.

Mr Dwyer said the going armed charges were an escalation on everything he’d done before, specifically Mooney had not put “injury to people at such serious risk”.

Mr Lane told the court Mooney struggled with long term meth addiction and submitted the offending had been aggravated by this substance abuse.

Mooney had written a letter of apology, which Mr Dwyer brushed off as “poor bugger me” blaming everyone else rather than taking responsibility for his actions.

“You’re the one that takes the drugs, you’re the one that’s committed this very very serious offending,” Mr Dwyer said.

Mooney was jailed for 18 months with parole eligibility on January 26, 2025 after serving half the sentence.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Sonny James Mooney pleads guilty in Mackay court to going armed to cause fear at Mackay pubs