Beau Crosby pleads guilty to threatening violence at Belli Park, driving under the influence at Airlie Beach

Hinterland residents said they lost half a million dollars on the sale of their home after moving away from their abusive neighbour who threatened to shoot their dog.

Beau James Crosby leaving Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Picture: Patrick Woods

The behaviour of a Noosa Heads labourer cost his neighbours hundreds of thousands of dollars on the sale of their home after they moved away from him when he threatened to shoot their dog, a court has heard.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court was told on Tuesday how the “ongoing” dispute at Belli Park bubbled at the surface until about 3pm on March 10, 2023 when Beau James Crosby began to throw rocks at his neighbour’s home.

Police prosecutor Mark Burrell said the labourer was abusing the resident next door which included saying “pull your f---ing head in”, “I’ll f---ing smash you” and “put a f---ing fence up”.

The vitriol continued where the labourer said he would “f---ing shoot” their dog in the head if it came over to his property.

Beau James Crosby leaving Maroochydore Magistrates Court on August 20, 2024. Picture: Patrick Woods

In their victim impact statement to the court, the neighbour spoke of losing between $300,000 to $500,000 on the sale of their home so they could move away from Crosby.

The court heard the Noosa Heads man was also involved in a bizarre incident in Airlie Beach at the Whitsundays, where the 37-year-old tried to flee from police while intoxicated on a scooter on June 3, 2023.

Crosby pleaded guilty to his several charges which included driving under the influence, obstructing police and threatening violence, with his defence lawyer Jamiee Burns pushing for him not to serve actual jail time, which was in range due to his criminal history.

Ms Burns said the father was grappling with a family tragedy in the lead up to the Belli Park incident, where he was going through an “exceptionally hard time” and struggling with alcohol.

Beau James Crosby leaving Maroochydore Magistrates Court on August 20, 2024. Picture: Patrick Woods

She clarified that Crosby, who volunteers to help the homeless in his spare time, threatened to shoot their animal and not the neighbours themselves, with the dispute being about the dog.

Ms Burns accepted it was not appropriate and said he had not spoken to the victim since.

“It’s because [the victim] packed up and left,” magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist said.

Mr Stjernqvist plainly told the 37-year-old his conduct in public in the last two years had been “disgraceful”.

“Airlie Beach would’ve been glad to see you leave,” he told Crosby, where he described the 37-year-old trying to “decamp full throttle” while intoxicated when police asked him to get off his scooter.

The magistrate said the Belli Park neighbours also lost $300,000 to $500,00 on the sale of their house.

“That’s how committed they were to getting away from you, willing to cop that loss,” he said.

Crosby was jailed for nine months, but was released on immediate parole. He was also fined a total of $2000 and ordered to complete 40 hours community service.

Originally published as Beau Crosby pleads guilty to threatening violence at Belli Park, driving under the influence at Airlie Beach