Jail reprieve over carpark stab scare
VIOLENCE broke out at a Townsville Shopping Centre when a drug user armed himself with a knife and knuckle dusters to attack a former friend in the carpark.
Graham Malcolm Baxter was sentenced for unlawful wounding, possessing $ 10,000 worth of cannabis, having a stolen sawn- off shotgun and 11 other charges when he faced Townsville District Court yesterday.
Baxter, 36, stabbed Corey Hardy at the Fairfield Waters Shopping Centre car park about 9.40am on June 14, 2017.
Judge Greg Lynham said the pair had become friends through social media the year before the attack but appeared to have had a falling out.
For some time Mr Hardy fixed cars, which Baxter then sold for profit.
The court heard several months before the stabbing Mr Hardy sent a message to Baxter asking for $ 150 for work done on a car, to which Baxter replied “don’t get smart … you give me 10k and I may let you live”.
Judge Lynham said there was no evidence that the pair had any further contact until the date of the attack.
On that day Mr Hardy was called to the centre by another friend who needed help changing a tyre.
When Baxter saw his former business partner he armed himself with knuckle dusters and a knife with a four- inch blade.
He punched Mr Hardy to the eye using the knuckle dusters and then stabbed him in the chest before getting into his car and fleeing the scene.
A bystander called triple- 0 and Mr Hardy was taken to hospital, but did not require surgery.
“Knives are lethal weapons and a single stab wound as the courts tragically see all too often is capable of killing someone,” Judge Lynham said.
“It is made more serious by reason it occurred in a public area.
“Whatever the true motivation for your offending was on that particular day, there was simply no justification for it, regardless of whatever beef you may have for the complainant.”
The court heard Baxter called his lawyer after the attack and handed himself over to police later the same day.
Six months before the stabbing police raided Baxter’s home and seized a large quantity of cannabis.
Crown prosecutor Dane Marley said 1.52kg of cannabis was found along with a range of drug- related items.
A stolen shortened shotgun was also seized in the raid.
Defence barrister Harvey Walters said his client began falling into troublesome activities after he was exposed to the drug ice.
Judge Lynham warned Baxter that if he continued to use ice he would likely find himself before the courts again.
Judge Lynham took into account Baxter’s pleas of guilty, limited criminal history and 390 days of declarable presentence custody when sentencing him to three years’ imprisonment with an immediate parole release date.