A teenage removalist who bashed and threatened a man with a machete has been spared an immediate prison sentence, despite recent history with weapons and bad behaviour.
Mount Gambier Magistrates Court saw the case of 19-year-old Seth Corey Williams, who was in Mount Gambier for work reasons.
The court heard Williams was at the Jens Hotel on Friday, 21 April. He believed another man was looking at him oddly while he played pool, so Williams and an associate followed him from the front bar into the beer garden.
Williams is said to have shoved the man against a wall before pulling a 30cm machete from his waistband, holding it to the victim’s throat and threatening he “will take your life c—”.
The man attempted to re-enter the bar, but Williams reportedly punched him multiple times before stomping on his head as he lay on the ground. The police prosecutor told the court the man was lucky to not suffer any serious long-term injury in the unprovoked attack.
It was also noted that the incident comes shortly after Williams was caught on Adelaide’s Hindley St in February with a knife, after allegedly stealing from the Falafel House. He was subsequently sentenced for carrying an offensive weapon, but not charged for the alleged theft.
His defence in the latest incident reported he had fetched the knife from his upstairs room due to fears over being in a strange town, and had felt “intimidated” by the victim while he was playing pool.
Williams pleaded guilty to six counts stemming from the April assault: one each of aggravated affray, aggravated assault with a weapon and carrying an offensive weapon, two of aggravated assault, and a charge over illicit possession of prescription medication. He also pled guilty to breaching the good behaviour bond issued over his February charges.
Charges of affray attract up to five years in prison, and each charge of aggravated assault can receive a maximum sentence of three years.
But Magistrate Justin Wickens warned Williams, taking his age into account and imposing sentence of three months and 10 days in prison, suspended on another good behaviour bond for 18 months.
