Man’s ‘grudge against world’

Press, 29 June 1988, Page 24

Man’s ‘grudge against world’

A man confessing to a “grudge against the world” caused an armed offender alert and $5OOO damage to a service station, the District Court was told yesterday. . Raymond David Brown, aged 29, unemployed, was found guilty on three charges, including presenting an object like a firearm, wilful damage, and burglary.

He was remanded in custody for sentence today.

Brown, represented by Mr Tony Garrett, appeared before Judge Erber.

Sergeant Max South said that on Friday, April 29, Brown had “for no apparent reason” broken a window on a property 1 in Halswell Road. While the police were called to that incident, Brown had gone to the Oaklands Service Station, also in Halswell Road, where he broke his way through the main glass door before doing as much damage as he

could with an iron bar.

He caused damage costing $5OOO. A police witness. Constable Anthony John McNeill, said that when approached, Brown had picked up what he thought was a rifle but later found to be a piece of wood. “The defendant said to ‘piss off or he would blow me away,” said Constable McNeill.

“When he held it up (the wood) I thought it was a firearm.” Constable McNeill said he left and called the armed offenders squad, who chased the defendant through a number of properties before catching him 200 metres away from the station.

He was still carrying the lump of wood, a broken fence post.

When asked for an explanation of his actions, the defendant said he “had a grudge against the world.”