Matthew Peter Fairbrother faces Gympie court over police siege
A regional Qld comic finds out his bank card has been cancelled. There’s no punchline - just PolAir...and a SWAT team.
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A 56-year-old musician and comic’s bank card trouble was the spark which ignited a four-hour siege at Gympie in 2023 for which SWAT was called in, a court has heard.
Matthew Peter Fairbrother faced Gympie Magistrates Court on Tuesday on charges laid in the wake of the July 26, 2023 incident at Pie Creek which forced police to shut down several blocks of the regional suburb.
Multiple police units, including a SWAT team and Polair, were dispatched to a property on Curtain Rd 10km outside Gympie about 9.20am.
Officer made a declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act shortly after, blocking off several surrounding streets.
It was finally resolved about 1.45pm when Fairbrother was taken into custody.
On Tuesday the court heard the stand-off had been started after the cancellation of his bank card.
Magistrate Bevan Hughes told Fairbrother that may have been “frustrating” and “annoying” but it was “an everyday occurrence”.
The court heard he made a suicide threat to the bank when it was cancelled and had been preceded by “excessive alcohol consumption”.
A psychologist report submitted on Fairbrother’s behalf identified he was suffering from mental health problems.
Mr Hughes said this was something for which “alcohol does not mix well”.
Nightingale Law’s Kym Turvey told the court her client had taken steps to rehabilitate and engaged in ongoing contact with support services in the wake of the siege.
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Mr Hughes noted Fairbrother had “very limited (criminal) history” with only one entry from 2016 on his record and he was supported in the court by his parents and sister.
He told Fairbrother he was “a very intelligent man” who had a great deal to offer the community given his background as a musician and comic.
“These things are the soul of the community, the arts,” Mr Hughes said.
“They bring joy to people.
“You can contribute.”
However, Mr Hughes said the “tenor” of the 56-year-old’s offending was “very alarming for the community” and, accepting his guilty pleas to charges of going armed so as to cause fear and dangerous conduct with a weapon, he placed Fairbrother on 15 months’ probation and recorded convictions.
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Originally published as Matthew Peter Fairbrother faces Gympie court over police siege
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