St. John’s court issues arrest warrant for Gary Hennessey

An arrest warrant has been issued for Gary Hennessey, three weeks after he was released from custody.

Court documents allege Hennessey violated his probation order starting June 5 — the same day a provincial court judge sentenced him to time served for threatening and assaulting two sheriff’s officers and threatening a correctional officer and set him free from Her Majesty’s Penitentiary. Police allege Hennessey’s breach continued until June 21, and the charge was laid the next day.

While the documents aren’t more specific about the breach, Hennessey 33, had orders that included keeping the peace and being of good behaviour and notifying police of any change of address.

Hennessey had told the court at his sentencing hearing he planned to leave the province with his fiancée as soon as he was released and would never look back. He stayed true to his word and went to B.C., sources say.

Hennessey had spent 16 months at HMP after being arrested in connection with a series of violent home invasions. He was later acquitted of those charges but stayed in custody awaiting sentencing on unrelated charges of threatening and assaulting sheriff’s officers and threatening a correctional officer.

Last November, while making a court appearance, Hennessey threatened a female sheriff. He later pleaded guilty to that charge and was handed a 75day jail term. As he was being escorted back to the holding cells in Atlantic Place, the court heard he spit in a male officer’s eye after a confrontation with him.

In the cells, Hennessey told sheriff’s officers he had a gift in his back pocket: two playing cards, including the ace of spades, which the Crown explained is sometimes referred to as the “death card.” Hennessey told the sheriffs the card was for the female officer he had previously threatened, calling her an insulting name and saying, “If she wants to play, she’s going to have to play the hand she’s dealt.”

The officer was said to have been visibly shaken and deeply disturbed by the incident.

The incident at HMP happened in April 2017, when Hennessey threatened to beat up his cell, threw toilet water at the door and told correctional officers he would fight them if they tried to move him. He threatened the life of one male officer in particular, saying the officer had “made it personal.”

Hennessey spoke in court of having been under stress in prison and of not being taken seriously when he had asked for help.