Lachlan James Hall fronts Toowoomba Magistrates Court for assaulting parking officer and stealing his phone

A mechanic apprentice told a parking inspector to take the fine he just gave him and ‘shove it up your arse’ before stealing the inspectors phone.

A parking fine was the straw that broke the camel’s back for a Toowoomba teenager, who went on to assault and steal the phone of the parking inspector that had issued the infringement.

Lachlan James Hall, 19, appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to common assault and stealing.

The apprentice mechanic was working at Bridgestone Toowoomba when about 9.30am a Toowoomba Regional Council parking inspector issued an infringement notice to Hall’s vehicle parked on Jubb Street.

The victim saw this and went to his vehicle, retrieved the ticket and confronted the victim, police prosecutor Bettina Trenear said.

The court was told Hall shoved the ticket down the front of the parking inspector’s chest and walked back to the workshop, with the victim yelling out “I’ll mail it out to you then”.

Hall again confronted the victim and told him “you can shove it up your arse”, before taking his work issued mobile phone from his hand and returning to the business.

Ms Trenear said the victim spoke to the manager of the business, and the phone was returned to the victim.

Hall’s solicitor Alysha Jacobsen said her client was stressed due to a relationship breakdown that saw him lose custody of his two and a half year old child, and that he had recently been told by Legal Aid they had cancelled his funding in relation to legal proceedings to regain contact with his child.

“Essentially the ticket that he received was the straw that broke the camel’s back at the time, it was all too much, and unfortunately he took it out on the parking inspector,” she said.

“He is very remorseful. His workplace has given him a written warning, he is on his final chance.”

Ms Jacobsen said her client was medicated for anxiety and depression, and was undergoing counselling, following this incident.

Magistrate Kay Ryan said while some people may not like the job that parking inspectors do, they have got a job to do and should not be the target of abuse or assault.

Hall was fined $500, which was referred to SPER, with no conviction recorded.