A man who threatened a witness of a hearing while driving past them outside the courthouse, was sentenced to a total of 300 hours community service when he appeared in Mudgee Local Cour.
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Max Ernest Wright, aged 24, of Gawthorne Place, Mudgee, was charged with two counts of ‘Threaten or cause injury to person for being witness’.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, however had been found guilty at a hearing prior to last Wednesday’s proceedings.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, following Wright’s release from custody after he’d been granted bail in court.
At about 2.23pm that afternoon a hearing was taking place at Mudgee Local Court involving a family member of Wright.
While one of the witnesses was standing outside the building near Market Street when Wright traveled past in a ute.
They informed police that he mouthed the words “you’re f***ing dead”, before pointing at them with his fingers in the shape of a gun.
Another witness of the hearing was then called to give evidence at the hearing when the police prosecutor told the court that they were now unwilling to do so due to the threat being made.
Wright’s legal-aid solicitor, Derek Buchanan, told the court that his client recognises the seriousness of this type of offence – however he pointed out that the incident itself didn’t involve violence which would put it at the more severe end of the scale.
He added that it “wasn’t planned trip” to drive past the courthouse that day, rather they were returning from the tip.
Magistrate Terry Lucas told the defendant that because the offence “happened outside this very court” it “makes it very, very serious”.