Man’s machete rampage

A GOLD Coast man has been sentenced to five years prison for hacking a man with a machete, assaulting his killer prostitute girlfriend and causing a siege which shut down Surfers Paradise last year.

But Jason Romaine will be released from prison in less than seven months after serving more than 13 months behind bars after the Easter Sunday siege in 2017.

Romaine pleaded guilty to eight counts which included grievous bodily harm, wounding, common assault and wilful damage at the Southport District Court yesterday.

The court heard Romaine’s rampage – which resulted in Charlie Irons’ leg and hand being hacked with a machete – was fuelled by alcohol and prescription medication after a “considerable” day of drinking at the Chevron Renaissance Apartments.

Romaine flew into a rage when his partner Milan Walker – who admitted to killing cocaine-sniffing FIFO worker Gregory Hudson during kinky sex in 2014 – asked him to turn down the music playing in the apartment because her teenage children were in a room next door.

“F--- them, I’m the adult here, the kids f------ walk all over you,” was Romaine’s response.

Walker replied by telling Romaine to get out of the apartment which he responded to by throwing a TV onto a veranda and punching holes in a bedroom door.

The court heard Walker then woke Irons, who tried to calm Romaine down before the exchange descended into a fist fight. Romaine later shoved Walker and threw a shopping trolley at Irons.

Later, Irons stood outside the apartment and asked for his shoes and mobile phone so he could go home. But Romaine responded by running out the front door yelling and brandishing a machete.

In a frenzied attack Romaine sliced Irons’ left hand and leg.

Police arrived at the apartment after 2am but Romaine locked himself in his room where he threw glass bottles and a pedestal fan out the window, causing officers to shut down the streets below. After telling police he was armed with a shotgun, Romaine was arrested about an hour later.

In court yesterday Judge David Kent QC condemned Romaine’s “intoxicated unhinged” actions.

He sentenced Romaine to five years in prison for the grievous bodily harm charge and three years for the wounding charge. Romaine, who was represented by Jacobson Mahony Lawyers, was given a prison probation order for the wilful damage and common assault charges.

The sentence was suspended after 20 months and included the 13 months Romaine had already spent in custody. and