Chris Allchin: Mt Direction farmer guilty of vile threats to ex-partner

“I’ll cut his toes off with a pair of boltcutters”: A Tasmanian man threatened his ex-partner, arrived unannounced at her residence and attempted to befriend her new man.

Mount Direction farmer Christopher James Edmund Allchin, 35. Picture: Instagram

A Tasmanian man threatened to “cut off” the toes of his ex-girlfriend’s new partner with a pair of boltcutters, abused and threatened her directly, and arrived unannounced and uninvited at her residence, a court has heard.

So intrusive did Mount Direction man Christopher James Edmund Allchin, 35, become, that his terrified ex, who lived in an outer suburb of Launceston, was forced to arm herself with a nail gun and fire warning shots at his feet to ward off his alarming presence.

Allchin pleaded guilty in Launceston Magistrates Court on Monday to a charge of emotional abuse or intimidation, committed between August 28 – November 10, 2022.

He was convicted and fined $1000. Allchin had no previous criminal history.

The court heard that his offending against the woman commenced when the pair broke up on August 28.

The court heard Allchin threatened to take a restraining order out against her as a means of endangering her employment, then lay in front of her car in the driveway to prevent her leaving. He also briefly followed her vehicle on a motorcycle.

The offending period concluded on November 10, when Allchin arrived unexpectedly at the woman’s residence having earlier sent her an ominous message citing the make, model and colour of her new boyfriend’s vehicle.

After Allchin refused to leave, the woman emerged armed with a nail gun, which she was forced to fire in two bursts as a means of driving her bullying ex backwards.

The court heard that in between those dates, Allchin exhibited a variety of threatening and manipulative behaviour.

On September 23, he told her if they couldn’t stay friends, he would “make your life a living hell”.

On September 28, when the woman refused his offer to get back together, Allchin said he was “coming around with a few mates to see you”.

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On November 5, Allchin called the woman asking whose ute was out the front of a house – a reference to her new boyfriend’s vehicle – then attempted to add the man on Facebook.

On other occasions, Allchin threatened to “belt the f---” out of the new man and “cut his toes off with a pair of boltcutters”.

He also told the woman she would “see a side of me you wish you never saw”; that she was a “c---” and he would be a “c---” back to her; and that he had “nearly blown my head off because of you”.

Defence lawyer Mathew Williams told the court the break-up exacerbated his clients’ mental health problems, which were worsened by Allchin’s increasing consumption of alcohol, and that the defendant had engaged with a psychologist, alcohol counselling, and the Men’s Referral Service.

Mr Williams said Allchin’s alcohol consumption meant that he couldn’t recall many of the incidents “with clarity,” although he noted that his client accepted the behaviour occurred as alleged.

Mr Stanton, the magistrate, said in his sentencing remarks that while the offending did not involve any physical conduct, “It might be just that little bit more sinister because the victim never knows when those threats might be carried out”.