Sean Trident O’Casey Munns accused of Blackwater armed robbery

Police allege this owner of a Qld lawnmowing business carried out a terrifying armed robbery and is a “dangerous man” who should not be allowed on the streets.

Sean Trident O’Casey Munns accused of Blackwater armed robbery

An alleged drug-using armed robber demanded money and abused a man who he claimed had sent his partner abusive and sexually explicit messages, a court heard.

Sean Trident O’Casey Munns, 36, is accused of carrying out a frightening armed robbery on a man in Blackwater on March 25 while armed with a meat cleaver.

He had been granted bail on December 12 for many charges, including burglary, Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday, April 15.

Mr Munns fronted court with 16 fresh charges – 12 from a search of the caravan he lived in with his current partner at the back of his grandmother’s house in Duaringa on April 11- and made a bail application.

He sat in the dock in the courtroom wearing a football singlet and shorts.

Police prosecutor Mirren Smith said the alleged armed robbery took place over an hour and the alleged victim knew Mr Munns prior to the incident.

“(Mr Munns allegedly) created such fear to the point where the complainant thought he was going to die,” she said.

Defence lawyer Ashley Reynolds said her client contested the entirety of the allegations of the events from March 25.

She said the complainant, in his written statement, claimed four people attended his residence on the night of the alleged armed robbery in the middle of the night, and two of them were his friends.

She said the complainant offered them marijuana, and his two “friends” asked him about messages he had sent to people earlier.

Sean Trident O’Casey Munns accused of Blackwater armed robbery

Ms Reynolds said he then talked about being assaulted by two men – not Mr Munns – and described them as “completely disappearing”.

She said the complainant then allegedly went into the house and saw Mr Munns but claimed in his statement that he’d never been introduced to Mr Munns and that he only knew him as a Facebook friend.

However, Ms Reynolds said her client instructed he and the complainant had in fact been friends for some time and Mr Munns had been to the man’s house many times.

“(Mr Munns alleged) there had been a falling out earlier in the year between them as a result of abusive and sexually explicit messages sent by the complainant to Mr Munns’s current partner,” she said.

Ms Reynolds said the complainant claimed in his statement that he didn’t know Mr Munns’s partner, but also didn’t deny sending the messages, instead attributing the content of the messages to a mental health disorder.

She said the complainant also referred to having to negotiate how much money he should have to pay Mr Munns but hadn’t denied or spoken much about the conversation with Mr Munns’s partner.

“That doesn’t mean that someone can go into their house and threaten them with a cleaver and demand money and abuse them,” she said.

The court heard there was fingerprint evidence on the meat cleaver with results pending.

It also heard Mr Munns’s criminal history included a robbery conviction for which he received a 4.5 year prison term and property offence convictions in 2020.

Ms Smith said the charges from the search included multiple possessions of drugs and tainted property while he was already on bail for enter premises charges and unlawful use of motor vehicle charges.

She said this showed Mr Munns was an unacceptable risk of committing further offences.

“He is a dangerous man,” Ms Smith said.

“He needs to be remanded in custody.”

Ms Reynolds argued the drugs located by police during a search of Mr Munns residence were for personal use.

She said her client had a lawn mowing business and had been living with his grandmother, who was in the back of the courtroom in support with her head cradled in her hands, to support her as she had many health issues.

She said the father of three financially supported and had regular contact with his children who lived with their mother in Roma.

Magistrate Lance Rundle determined Mr Munns was an unacceptable risk of committing further offences and remanded him in custody.

Mr Munns’ Blackwater charges are enter dwelling with intent at night while armed in company, common assault, assaults occasioning bodily harm while armed/in company and robbery armed/in company/ wounded/ used personal violence.

His other charges from April are four counts of possessing dangerous drugs, one of possessing tainted property, two of possessing drug utensils, one count each of possessing property suspected of having been acquired for the purpose of committing a drug offence, unlawful possession of a weapon, fail to dispose of syringe, possess explosive, offence to buy or possess S4 or S8 medicines or hazardous poisons, and enter premises with intent.

His charges from December are one count of enter premise, one of enter premise and commit indictable offence by break, one of unlawful use of a motor vehicle - use/ used/ intended for indictable offence, one of possess/acquire restricted item and one of fail to take reasonable care of a syringe.

Briefs of evidence were ordered for the March 25 offences and the case was adjourned to June 11.

Originally published as Sean Trident O’Casey Munns accused of Blackwater armed robbery