Michael John O’Neill pleads guilty to grabbing neck of female delivery driver at Nambour

A woman doing her job as a courier on the Sunshine Coast has been bizarrely grabbed around the neck and attacked by an old man paranoid he was going to be grifted by another scam.

Michael John O'Neill leaving Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday. Picture: Sam Turner

A Nambour pensioner has said he believed he was going to get scammed when he strangled an innocent woman delivering a package to his home.

The woman courier was doing her job on September 23 last year when Michael John O’Neill and her became involved in a wild melee outside of the 72-year-old’s Nambour home.

Police prosecutor Mark Burrell said the victim was a woman delivery driver who came to O’Neill’s home to deliver a package which had his name, address and number on its label.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard on Friday how O’Neill’s roommate answered the door and called out to the pensioner to get his parcel.

Sergeant Burrell said upon seeing the woman and her parcel, the 73-year-old demanded to see her licence.

The woman, understandably confused about what she was being accused with, walked back to her car when O’Neill followed and confiscated her phone.

As he walked back to his home, the woman tried to get her phone back and in the process came into contact with his head to retrieve her mobile.

The court heard O’Neill kicked the woman in the thigh before he grabbed her throat and squeezed her neck. She found it difficult to breathe and it caused pain.

Sergeant Burrell said the victim was able to take her phone back and took his in the process.

O’Neill outside court. Picture: Sam Turner

O’Neill grabbed her by the shirt and pulled it until she gave his phone back and a witness intervened.

Photos tendered to the court showed marks and bruising around the woman’s neck. He was later charged with assault and pleaded guilty to this on Friday.

The police prosecutor said it was an unjustified attack on a woman who was doing her job after the pensioner questioned her legitimacy as a delivery driver.

Defence solicitor Katie Paterson said the pensioner had no criminal history and co-operated with police. She said it was out of character for the 73-year-old former train driver.

Ms Paterson said his assault came in the context of an online scam he fell victim to a fortnight before the woman delivered his parcel.

O’Neill claimed he had $400 drained from his bank account and was “hacked” which left him unsettled and hypervigilant.

His solicitor said the pensioner believed he hadn’t personally ordered any items to be delivered and could have been connected to the previous fraud.

Ms Paterson said she was instructed O’Neill believed the woman would have her licence or credentials and became unsuspicious. He then grabbed her phone and walked back to his home to call police when the tussle started over her phone.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist labelled it “unusual” and “somewhat bizarre” incident, and jailed the Nambour man for three months. This was suspended immediately for nine months.

Originally published as Michael John O’Neill pleads guilty to grabbing neck of female delivery driver at Nambour