Stalkers sentenced in Sunshine Coast courts in the past 12 months
Stalkers have landed in hot water in the past 12 months as their crimes were detailed in Sunshine Coast courts. See the list.
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Stalkers have fronted courts on the Sunshine Coast in the past year for their crimes of threatening and harassing their victims.
From tradies to a pastry chef and footy coach, here are the stalkers who have landed recently landed in hot water:
Bradley Richard Tweedale
Bradley Richard Tweedale pleaded guilty in the Maroochydore District Court on December 2 to one count of stalking with threatening violence.
Crown prosecutor Rhys Byrne told the court the stalking occurred across six days after the victim refused to allow Tweedale, who was homeless at the time, to stay overnight at her home.
The court heard he loitered around her home for some time and it took only half an hour for Tweedale to contact her after he left the premises.
The court heard he sent 100 texts and tried to call her 60 times on that occasion.
Mr Byrne said he loitered and attempted to contact the woman throughout the following days, including at least two threats via voicemail to die by suicide and one threat of burning the woman’s house down with her inside.
Judge Glen Cash noted he attempted to call her 74 times during one of the six days of stalking.
Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown told the court Tweedale’s time in custody helped deter him from future offending.
Judge Cash sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment with immediate release on parole and his eight months in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.
Rodney Denis Walshe
A former film set builder who was charged with stalking a couple on a “prestigious” Noosa street was found guilty in a Maroochydore court.
The magistrate-only trial finished on November 14 in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court.
Rodney Denis Walshe, who faced two counts of stalking, was accused of harassing a couple for more than a year after they moved into their newly purchased home in 2022.
On the last day of the trial, acting magistrate Anna Smith found Walshe guilty of the stalking charges, saying he loitered around their home, did “drive-bys”, surveyed the couple’s movements, sat outside to watch and video them and harassed them through various means.
The court was told during the trial Walshe had 58 pictures and 28 videos of the victims on his phone, including some duplicates and video screenshots.
Ms Smith said the victims sold their “forever home” due to Walshe’s actions and barely made any profit off the sale.
He was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment wholly suspended for two years with a restraining order of five years.
Convictions were recorded.
Daryl John Kirkham
A Nambour pastry chef who was in the thralls of a Xanax addiction was jailed for his “intense” stalking of his former boyfriend.
Maroochydore District Court heard that Daryl John Kirkham said it was “just the beginning” for his victim during a campaign of harassment where he threatened to kill him, broke into his home and assaulted him.
Kirkham, who pleaded guilty to stalking with violence in a domestic relationship, burglary and three traffic offences on March 18, 2024, spent 339 days on remand for the fevered offending which took place from March 27 to April 9, 2023.
Crown prosecutor Alex Stark stated Kirkham “terrorised” the victim through hundreds of abusive messages and threats after he was dumped due to his “verbal abuse”.
Judge Bernard Porter KC said he broke into his victim’s home and chased him through the street with a pair of scissors.
The court was told the victim had his phone destroyed and was punched by Kirkham, who also scared off a neighbour who tried to intervene.
“This is just the beginning, you will be dead when I’m ready to kill you,” Kirkham said, according to Judge Porter.
Defence barrister Lily Brisick said the qualified baker and pastry chef was using Xanax heavily at the time and grieving the death of one of his boyfriends.
Kirkham was jailed for four and a half years, with his parole eligibility date set for September 18 last year.
Adam Trent Young
A Noosa concreter admitted to a horror stalking campaign on his ex-girlfriend due to a mix of jealousy and his “indulgence in meth”.
Maroochydore District Court heard of the frightening extent Adam Trent Young went to after he descended into a jealous drug rage when he discovered his former partner was in a new relationship.
Crown prosecutor Michael Andronicus said Young’s disturbing stalking escalated on January 18, when he intercepted his former partner, her new boyfriend and his children while they were being driven to daycare.
The court was told Young rode his motorcycle back to his former partner’s home, covered the front security camera and entered the home.
While inside, he pulled out her bedside doors, threw her underwear on the floor, and stole her new partner’s Garmin watch along with his bag.
The court heard Young had tracked the pair due to a feature on one of his children’s iPads.
Mr Andronicus told the court Young cut the new brakes of her new partner’s car and deflated a tyre about 3am the next day.
He admitted to his despicable offending by pleading guilty to two counts of contravening a domestic violence order, two of driving disqualified, one of stalking, possessing dangerous drugs and possessing drug utensils.
Defence barrister James Feely said Young sobered up while in custody, and told the court his client’s “indulgence in meth” played a role in his stalking as it led to paranoia.
Young was jailed for two years and three months with immediate release after counting 327 days in custody as time served.
He was also disqualified from driving for two years.
Barry John Collett
A former Caloundra West bricklayer was nearly been deported after harassing his ex-girlfriend through disturbing texts, unannounced visits and stalking her at a music festival.
Barry John Collett faced the prospect of being sent back to New Zealand, a country he hasn’t lived in since he was eight years old, after pleading guilty to stalking and wilful damage against his former partner over a six-week period between September and November 2022.
Crown prosecutor Michael Andronicus told the Maroochydore District Court on June, 2024 that during a six-week period, Collett sent more than 200 threatening and abusive text messages, called her and went to her home without an invitation.
Mr Andronicus repeated some of the horrid messages in open court, where the Caloundra West man hoped the woman lived “a loveless life”, how he was going to “punch” a man she knew and to say he was “watching” her.
Collett also went to her home and banged on her door for more than 90 minutes, threw rocks at her house and switched on a garden hose and flooded her bedroom.
Defence barrister Lily Brisick said Collett completed some rehabilitation in almost 19 months since being charged where he gained insight into his offending.
Judge Ken Barlow jailed Collett for 24 months but gave him immediate parole.
Sean David Whatnall
A plasterer spent more than a year in custody after the cowardly New Year’s Day attack of a woman where he tried to smother her with a pillow.
Sean David Whatnall pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault, unlawful stalking and choking in Maroochydore District Court in April, 2024.
Prosecutor Rebecca Zammit said the Buderim man spent 437 days in custody since his arrest for his brutal assault on a woman in the early hours of January 1, 2023.
Police were called and he was arrested where he spent three days on remand before he was granted bail.
The court heard Whatnall was remanded again several weeks later and went on to send 20 pages of letters to the victim indirectly through her relative while he was in prison.
Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown said the Brisbane-born father was supported by family and worked as a plasterer by trade, hoping to go into business with his brother after being released from jail.
The Buderim man was jailed for three years with some of his time on remand used as time served. He was given immediate parole release.
Adrian Cornish
A junior Gold Coast footy coach was granted immediate parole for his disturbing stalking of a woman he met on a dating website after she dumped him.
The woman went through six hellish weeks of harassment all because Ashmore man Adrian Cornish would not accept their fling was over, and continually tried to rekindle it through incessant contact from August 25 to October 10 in 2023.
Details of his consistent pestering were heard in Maroochydore District Court on February 3 following his guilty pleas to stalking and contravening an order about device information.
When the victim wanted to end their relationship, Ms Masoumi said it sparked the stalking offending that involved sending the woman more than 300 texts, 13 emails and 14 voicemails.
Ms Masoumi said Cornish encouraged the woman to come outside her home however she did not respond. She then lay “scared s---less and concerned” in bed all night due to this, the court heard.
At one point that evening he messaged that he could see the “lights were off in her house”, which made the victim believe he was close enough to be able to see this.
Defence solicitor Matthew Cooper claimed his client’s offending was a “very, very misguided attempt” of him trying to resume their relationship.
Mr Cooper said the father and junior AFL coach, who had worked with youth women’s Gold Coast Suns academies, was born in Victoria and was a carpenter by trade, however currently worked as a site supervisor.
The court heard Cornish wrote an apology letter to the court which showed remorse and insight, and had completed domestic violence programs in the lead-up to his sentence.
Cornish was jailed for two years, but was granted immediate parole, less the 27 days he had already served.
He was also ordered to pay $3000 in compensation to the victim.
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