Christopher Travis McGlinchy sentenced in Rockhampton Magistrates Court

The man told police that it ‘wasn’t a free country’ and the person needed to speak English, and it resulted in him being kicked off the train. Here’s what happened in court.

Christopher McGlinchy was fined after a disturbance saw him kicked off a train which was travelling to Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

It was meant to be an ordinary train ride to get his dog from Brisbane, but a man was forced to find another means of getting there after he was kicked off following a disturbance with another person.

Christopher Travis McGlinchy pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Wednesday to one count of creating a disturbance or nuisance on a train.

McGlinchy was on board a Queensland Rail travel train from Rockhampton to Brisbane on the morning of November 25, 2021.

The train stopped at the Landsborough station after a complaint was made about McGlinchy by another passenger, resulting in police being called.

Train staff told officers the victim stated McGlinchy had behaved aggressively towards them by swearing at them and threatening to stab them with weapons.

Prosecutor Brandy Butler told the court officers then spoke to McGlinchy who told them he had spoken with some other passengers on the train and told them to speak English, after they were having a private phone conversation.

“When asked why he would do that, the defendant stated ‘it isn’t a free country, they were annoying him and they have to speak English here’,” she said.

Officers then told McGlinchy that it was a free country and people could speak whatever language they wanted and he told them it wasn’t.

McGlinchy was then escorted from the train as a result of the disturbance and was searched by police but no weapons were found.

Ms Butler told the court McGlinchy had a 13 page criminal history, which included offences of violence.

He was also on probation at the time of the offence.

McGlinchy, who was self represented in court, told Acting Magistrate Ron Muirhead he had asked the victim to “speak in English or speak quieter”.

“I just asked them if they could speak in English or speak quieter, why do they need to speak in their own lingo?” he said.

McGlinchy said he had asked train staff if they could ask the victim to be quiet or move to a different carriage.

“It was first thing in the morning, I wanted to sleep and the police woke me up,” he said.

He said he also had to find alternative transport after being removed from the train.

Acting Magistrate Ron Muirhead took into account McGlinchy’s plea of guilty which came at an early opportunity.

McGlinchy was fined $500 and a conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Christopher Travis McGlinchy sentenced in Rockhampton Magistrates Court