Accused not guilty Samurai threat a tall tale

A MAN accused of breaking into a house and threatening a teenager with an ornamental sword has been found not guilty.

Mark Lawrence Rockwell, 26, was on trial in the Townsville District Court for charges of deprivation of liberty, burglary by breaking in at night with violence and with property damage and two counts of armed robbery.

The jury yesterday returned verdicts of not guilty for all four charges in less than two hours.

The Crown alleged Rockwell broke into the Hermit Park home on July 19, 2016, and threatened a teenage resident with a samurai sword and replica gun, demanding money and taking two $ 50 notes and a further sum of $ 30.

It was alleged the teenager then jumped on the man’s back and a struggle ensued, leading to him stabbing the man in the back with a kitchen knife.

But the defence said Rockwell went to the address to buy drugs and the teenager stabbed him when he went to leave without making a purchase.

Giving evidence in court yesterday Rockwell said he was told by an acquaintance he could get ecstasy at that address and walked from Garbutt with $ 30 in his pocket to buy two pills.

Rockwell told the court that once at the address he spoke to a teenage boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who produced a small bag of pills.

“It looked like Equal or something you’d put in your cup of tea,” he said. “I said I didn’t want them, they don’t look like ecstasy, I’m not buying them.”

Rockwell said the boy said he needed money to pay back his mother because he’d “stuffed up a drug deal earlier that night” and tried to sell him both the samurai sword and the replica gun.

He told the court that when he walked away, he felt a blow to his back.

His evidence came after a Hermit Park resident, Luke Boucher, told the court that on about 3am on July 19, 2016, he woke up and heard yelling.

“I quickly, threw a shirt on, and grabbed a torch and ran downstairs,” he said.

“I just heard a person yelling out ‘ help, help, help’.”

Mr Boucher said he found the teenager in a yard, pinning down a man who was holding a knife in his hand.

Defence barrister Michael Hibble said only $ 30 was found at the scene and Rockwell did not have the $ 50 notes. “This is part of the story that doesn’t stack up,” Mr Hibble said.