Bail denied for murder, rape threat

A MAN accused of threatening to rape and murder a Queensland magistrate during a fiery neighbourhood dispute has been denied bail for a third time.

Shane Christopher Toohey, 29, who lived next door to Magistrate Catherine Pirie and her husband David on the Gold Coast, is facing five charges, including unlawful stalking, over an episode allegedly caught on camera on March 1 last year.

It is alleged Toohey threatened to kill and rape Ms Pirie and brandished a machete during the incident.

It came after her husband was accused of hitting Toohey’s mother with the end of a shovel weeks earlier.

Mr Pirie denies the allegations, claiming he was acting in self defence, and is scheduled to face a District Court trial on a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed.

Toohey applied for bail for a third time in the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday, with his lawyer Daniel Hannay arguing circumstances had changed because the Piries moved to Toowoomba.

Magistrate Tina Privitera denied bail on the grounds Toohey was an unacceptable risk and adjourned the case to February 12.