Strand ‘gunman’ on immediate parole

A FORMER airman pointed a replica gun out of his car at “frightened” people on The Strand a month after he attacked a woman in a carpark.

Grandfather Stephen Joseph Walsh pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and going armed so as to cause fear in the Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday.

The court heard Walsh was driving along The Strand in his car and pointing a fake gun out of the window, aiming at random people near the Tobruk Pool on September 26, 2019.

This was about a month after another incident, when Walsh attacked a woman in a Garbutt carpark after hitting her car on August 26 last year.

Police prosecutor Mark

Fenlon said Walsh’s victim had placed chairs in front of her car to prevent it from being hit again by him but he drove his car into hers again.

Walsh then struck her face and knocked her to the ground, before the two started wrestling on the ground.

A witness called police after seeing the victim in a headlock.

The woman suffered bruising and minor abrasions as a result of the attack.

Defence lawyer

Amanda

Zugno said her client had been diagnosed with severe mental illnesses was subject to mental health orders and had also been abusing drugs.

Ms Zugno said Walsh had once been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force before becoming and remaining unemployed since the late 1980s.

Magistrate Ross Mack said as a result of his drug-taking, Walsh had “descended” from being a contributing member of the community to “illogical, incomprehensible behaviour”.

“You couldn’t help but feel sorry for or embarrassed by your behaviour in the sober light of day,” Mr Mack said.

“No small thing to frighten people on The Strand … you need to think next time you seek to smoke, inject or inhale any drugs that you’ll most likely spend more time in jail.”

Walsh was sentenced to 12 months’ jail. He will be released on parole today.