In early August, a man walked down a street in Tasmania setting off fireworks as he went before entering the police station and surrendering a machete.
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The man, Louis Gabriel Raymond O'Connor, had just used the machete to smash 21 windows of Queenstown's Empire Hotel, causing damage valued at $7612.
O'Connor had drunk 27 cans of Victoria Bitter and was upset with his son's mother, who was a duty manager of the hotel, but who was not at work on that day, August 2, Sergeant Thomas said.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to weapons and fireworks charges, unlawful possession of property and destroying property.
Sergeant Thomas said the staff on shift when O'Connor entered the pub and began smashing the windows were fearful of the situation.
Defence lawyer Hannah Goss told the court her client's offending had stemmed from disagreements with his ex-partner over visitation of their 10-year-old son.
Ms Goss said O'Connor had been living interstate and had been unable to see his son in the 18 months since the outbreak of the pandemic.
She said he had moved to Burnie earlier in 2021, but there had been "mixed messages" about visitation, including an incident when he travelled to Queenstown only to find out his son had flown to Victoria.
Ms Goss said O'Connor agreed he had consumed a "significant amount of alcohol" the night before his offending, which she said did not mitigate his crimes, but went some way to explaining them.
She said O'Connor had struggled with his mental health over the years, beginning with when his father died in a car accident on his 10th birthday.
Ms Goss said the man also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after he was involved in a serious workplace accident on the West Coast Wilderness Railway in 2014.
After his rampage at the hotel, he cooperated fully with police and made admissions, and never applied for bail, and has been in custody ever since.
She said he accepts he needs to "get himself in a better position" to be a father to his son, and showed a high degree of insight into his crimes.
Sandy Powell
Court and crime reporter covering the West and North-West of Tasmania for the Advocate.
Court and crime reporter covering the West and North-West of Tasmania for the Advocate.
