SCHOOL KNIFE TERROR

Attacker breaks into safe room whispering ‘I will kill you’

A KNIFE-WIELDING maniac whispered “I will kill you’’ to his terrified partner as she cowered in a primary school’s ‘safe room’.

Students from Coolangatta Primary School were shepherded away from the area as police and staff attempted to subdue the man.

The drama unfolded during afternoon pick-up time, a court heard yesterday.

School authorities ushered the woman into a safe room but the assailant followed her inside to issue the death threat.

A KNIFE-WIELDING man whispered to his partner that he was going to kill her as she sheltered terrified in a safe space at a Gold Coast primary school.

Students at Coolangatta State School were barred from the area while police and staff tried to contain the man, who was intent on harming his partner of 18 months.

The school was first alerted just before 3pm on May 10, 2016 when mothers waiting for their children saw the man, 35, follow the woman to the school and grab her from behind.

The woman was there to pick up her daughter.

The Southport District Court heard yesterday the mothers intervened and the school then placed the woman in the chaplain’s office in a bid to keep her safe.

But the man, who legally cannot be named, followed her inside, tried to kiss her and bit her ear three times.

“I’m going to kill you if you don’t come outside,” he whispered in her ear.

The 35-year-old later smashed the woman’s laptop outside the chaplain’s office window.

“I am going to get a knife and stab you,” he said.

“I am going to slit my own throat.

“I know where you are staying and I know where your kid goes to school.”

The man then went outside school grounds, produced a 35cm knife and held it to his own throat.

Police arrived and found the knife near a footpath leading into the school.

While the incident was occurring, the area where the woman and man were was made out-of-bounds for students as they left for the day.

Doors were locked and lights turned out to try and prevent the man from seeing inside.

A full lockdown was not enforced.

But the threats were not enough to land the man in jail after he pleaded guilty in the District Court yesterday to making threats, common assault and wilful damage.

Judge Catherine Muir sentenced him to six months prison, with immediate release on parole.

The court heard the incident followed an earlier fight just south of the border.

The man was not charged in New South Wales over the matter.

Crown prosecutor Gary Churchill said the pair had argued earlier in their car about the woman, who was also homeless, staying with the man’s brother.

He began to whip her legs and punched her a number of times.

Mr Churchill said later that day the man followed his partner when she went to pick up her daughter from school.

He said the man had never been in trouble with the law until the attack at the school.

Since then he had faced a litany of charges including breaching a domestic violence order, breaching bail, failing to appear in court and drug related matters.

When he arrived at court yesterday, the man was arrested again and charged with breach of bail and contravening a direction of police for not providing his fingerprints.

Defence barrister John Cook said when the man had the knife the only threats he made were to himself.

“While he did return to the school, he placed the knife to one side,” he said.

Mr Cook said the man was taking steps to get help for drug addiction.