Cayle Sean MacDonald accused of rape, threatening to kill police

A miner charged with raping a woman after a date was “highly motivated” to kill a country Qld cop, even going to his family’s safe house and claiming he was “ready for Glock bullets to the chest”, chilling court documents allege.

A generic photo of Queensland Police. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

A man charged with rape after a date is also accused of threatening to kill a police officer, tracking down the officer’s family to their safe house and threatening to burn down their house, court documents reveal.

Police will also allege the man was intercepted by the officer’s colleagues moments after he made the death threats in an angry and agitated state, saying he was “f***ed over” over by police and was witnessed by them “hurl a barrage of abuse” at his own wife over the phone.

Cayle Sean MacDonald made a bail application in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on January 13 having spent 244 days in custody after being charged with two counts of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill, one of making a threat to cause a detriment to a second person with intent, two of stalking/harassment/intimidation, two of obstructing police, one of illegal possession of explosives and one of rape.

Police prosecutor Mirren Smith said the alleged rape took place after Mr MacDonald and a woman had been on a date and went back to a house.

She said what followed was “erratic”, concerning behaviour towards a police officer and his family.

According to the court documents, seen by this publication, which contained two objection to bail affidavits police will allege Mr MacDonald drove almost four hours on Central Queensland roads to confront the police officer, who had been investigating him for other allegations, after receiving a series of messages from his ex-wife the night before.

During the drive, Mr MacDonald allegedly phoned the officer who was working at the time away from home and in a vehicle.

According to the documents, it was during this phone call, and a second call, that Mr MacDonald allegedly started threatening to kill the officer who recorded the calls after the first threat was made.

Police will allege Mr MacDonald was intercepted by other police about 20 minutes later for driving without headlights at 5.30am on a highway which was when he was observed to be “angry and agitated” and told officers he had been ‘f***ed over’ by the police.

The court documents state the officer reported his incident to others who initiated an emergent response of police resources from four other police stations to attend the lone officer’s station and checks revealed Mr MacDonald had access to firearms having previously held a Queensland Firearms License and was deemed “highly motivated to cause harm”.

Police will allege that two-and-a-half hours after being intercepted, Mr MacDonald had tracked down the officer’s wife who had moved her family to a “safe house” and he allegedly again made threats to kill the officer and along with his own ex-wife.

The officer’s wife accused Mr MacDonald of ranting and raving, being agitated and angry, and scaring all the occupants of the house which included those who owned the residence and had given her family refuge, the documents allege.

In the documents, she also accuses Mr MacDonald of saying: “Where the f*** are they? (Ex wife) is not home. I am locked out of my own f***ing house and where the f*** is (officer’s name). He’s a f***ing dead man. I have been to that c***’s house too and he is not there. Where the f***is he?”

The documents also allege Mr McDonald said: “I’m ready for the three Glock bullets to the chest but that c*** will die first. He’s been with (ex-wife). The messages she was sending me last night was him on her phone cos (sic) she’s not that smart. They are both conspiring against me. It’s a set up. They’re both f***ing dead. I don’t give a f--- anymore; I’ll kill them, and if no one is here to shoot me, I’ll shoot myself; I’m in trouble anyway so I’ll will torch their house as well.”

According to the documents, other officers arrived at the safe house 10 minutes later as the officer’s wife had called them immediately and they allegedly located Mr MacDonald in the driver’s seat of his car.

Police allege Mr McDonald resisted arrest and they had to use force when they arrested him.

“He was found with quite a significant amount of bullets in his car and his ex wife that is involved in the charges says that he is still in possession of a rifle but he was not forthcoming about where it is,” Ms Smith said in court.

The court documents state 174 rounds of .223 ammunition were found in his car and it was highlighted that those are “commonly used in military service weapons”.

“This is a major concern for police in terms of reoffending and the safety of other people in the community and the (allegations) of his behaviour towards police … he is too much of a risk to let him out into the community,” Ms Smith told the court.

She described Mr MacDonald’s behaviour as “erratic and a huge escalation” given he had only one entry on his criminal record prior to this alleged offending.

The court documents state he was convicted of two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count each of obstruct or assault police, wilful damage of police property and creating a disturbance in the vicinity of a licensed premises.

Defence lawyer James Fisher said it was unfair for his client to have to prove a negative – that he didn’t have a rifle in his possession or access to one.

“He swears he doesn’t have a weapon,” he said.

The court heard Mr MacDonald had worked since he was 13 in various positions including carpenter in the mining industry most recently, and as a boilermaker, concreter, station hand and machine operator.

Mr Fisher said the proposed bail address was in Mackay which was “hundreds of kilometres away” from the alleged offending locations, victims and witnesses.

He said his client had work lined up, which had been checked, and that work would take him to mines for contract work at Coppabella, Moranbah and Croydon.

Magistrate Lance Rundle granted Mr MacDonald bail with conditions that he not go to certain towns where the alleged victims and witnesses lived and worked, and only attend Rockhampton for court or attend meetings with his lawyer.

He is also not to contact any alleged victims or witnesses.

Mr MacDonald’s charges are scheduled to next be mentioned in court on January 29.

Originally published as Cayle Sean MacDonald accused of rape, threatening to kill police