‘I’ll stab her’: Toowoomba man chases daughter wielding two knives

A court heard a man posted a vile video about his daughter to social media, goading her to attend his Toowoomba home where he threatened to stab her after sharpening a number of knives.

A Toowoomba man pleaded guilty to contravening a DVO after he made derogatory and abusive posts about his daughter online, threatened to kill the young woman, and chased and stood over her while wielding two knives.

A Toowoomba man who was arrested on New Year’s Day after he threatened to kill his daughter and chased her around a backyard while wielding freshly-sharpened knives has been sentenced for the crime.

Legally, the 48-year-old man can’t be named because he was charged with contravening a domestic violence order rather than a criminal offence.

When the man pleaded guilty to contravening the order, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard he was not allowed to contact his adult daughter and while in her company he had to be of good behaviour.

He was on parole for stalking an ex-partner at the time of the offence.

At the Toowoomba courthouse in February 2025 a man pleaded guilty to contravening a DVO after he made derogatory and abusive posts about his daughter online, threatened to kill the young woman, and chased and stood over her while wielding two knives.

Vile video posted to social media

The court heard before the alteration at a west Toowoomba home, the man posted a video to Snapchat calling the woman in her 20s derogatory terms in an attempt to lure her to the house.

At about 10pm on New Year’s Day, police received a triple-zero call from the woman who said her dad was trying to stab her.

The court heard when police arrived the young woman’s cousin told officers when she came home earlier that evening the man was sharpening knives in a laundry and told her that he would stab his daughter if she attended the home.

When the woman went to the address, the man chased her while holding knives in each hand, and stood over the woman after she tripped and fell.

The woman’s cousin quickly intervened and pushed the man away, the court heard.

The woman told police she went to the address to get her alcohol and she also wanted her father to take down the abusive Snapchat he posted to social media.

Soon after police arrested the man who was on foot at the intersection of Ruthven and North Streets.

He told police he chased the woman because he wanted his alcohol back and the knives were in his hands because he didn’t know what to do with them.

Repeat DV offender

The court heard the man’s criminal history was littered with DV offences spanning 25 years.

Police prosecutor Chris Wilson said it was sad to think what may have happened if no one intervened and noted the defendant blamed his daughter for his actions.

“Given equal weight to his longstanding DV history, his previous failed opportunities at rehabilitation, as well as the current (case), I would submit that the only appropriate sentence is one of imprisonment,” he said.

“I would (say) a range of six to nine months.”

Solicitor Michael Corbin told the court the southwest Queensland born man did not want to injure his daughter, noting he imminently left the home after being pushed away.

He said the man, who had no issues with his childhood, was struggling with the death of a number of his family members.

Mr Corbin said his client had entered an early plea of guilty and conceded a jail term was warranted given he was on a parole order at the time.

He asked for a suspended sentence to be imposed and if not, that the man be given an immediate parole eligibility date noting it would take the parole board two to three months to consider an application.

Punishment

Magistrate Mark Howden told the disability support pensioner that the incident would have been “very frightening” for his daughter.

“Mr Corbin says you did not actually stab her, well thank goodness you did not because if you had done that you would be in far more trouble than you are now,” he said.

Mr Howden sentenced the man to a four-year term and set his eligibility date to apply for parole as February 18.

The 48 days the man spent in custody was not declared as time served.

The sentence the man is currently serving for a different DV crime following the suspension of his parole will end on February 28.

When he is released will be up to the parole board.