Car thief: ‘Get out or I will stab you’

AN ice addict threatened to stab a driver and tried to pull another from her car by her legs during an hour-long rampage that involved four attempted carjackings.

Mark Blair Perkins pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court on Monday to multiple charges including acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, serious assault of a person over 60 and common assault.

Judge Geraldine Dann sentenced Perkins to three years’ prison, to be released on April 19. Perkins has been in custody since April last year.

Prosecutor Gary Churchill said the spree started when Perkins tried to carjack a BMW stopped at traffic lights on the corner of Queen and Garden streets, Southport on the morning of April 19.

Perkins threatened to stab the driver who gave over his keys.

When Perkins was unable to start the car, he went to the next car, driven by a 62-yearold, and tried to pull her from the car by her legs.

The woman kicked him off but Perkins took off with her shoes.

Mr Churchill said about 15 minutes later, at Hungry Jacks on Ferry Rd, Perkins threatened a man and told him to get out of the car: “Perkins told the man someone was trying to kill him and he (Perkins) had a knife.”

The man wound up the windows and locked the door so Perkins moved on to a black sedan being driven by a woman.

“He told her to ‘get out or he would stab her’,” Mr Churchill said. “He then pulled out what she described as a homemade shank.”

The court was told Perkins sat in the woman’s lap and told her to “get out of you will be stabbed” before driving off with the door open while sitting on the woman’s lap.

Perkins crashed the car into the median strip and was thrown out of the open door.

Mr Churchill said the woman closed the door and was forced to drive the wrong way down the road in order to escape. The police dog squad found Perkins. A search found two screwdrivers but no knives.

HE SAYS JAIL HAS BEEN A REAL EYE OPENER FOR HIM. IT HAS HELPED MY CLIENT FIND STRENGTH IN HIMSELF AGAIN DEFENCE BARRISTER

“The offending is very protracted and he wasn’t put off by his failed attempts,” Mr Churchill said.

“The threats to stab and possession of a weapon make this very serious offending.

“It would have been very terrifying.”

Defence barrister James McNab said at the time Perkins had an “active addiction to the insidious drug ice”.

Mr McNab said he was also homeless and had been couch surfing.

“He says jail has been a real eye opener for him,” he said.

“It has helped my client find strength in himself again.”

Mr McNab said upon release Perkins hoped to do courses to help beat his addiction.