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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Toby Vue

Jaw-breaking culprit released over knife thrust in 'unexplained drunken anger'

The ACT Supreme Court re-sentenced Brett McIntosh after he breached a good behaviour order. Picture: Facebook

"No more drugs and alcohol" and "so happy" were the words of a jaw-breaking and knife-wielding offender's family after he was re-sentenced to a community-based order for failing his promise of good behaviour following his vicious assault of a man.

Brett Thomas McIntosh in mid-2019 accosted a man who had visited the offender's mother's house, the ACT Supreme Court heard on Thursday.

McIntosh, in the company of his mother, punched the victim three or four times and kicked him while he was on the ground.

The offender, in his 30s, then chased his target, threw him on the ground and kicked him in the face, breaking his jaw.

The attack was prompted as McIntosh believed the victim had supplied drugs to his mother and had been violent towards her.

He then slapped another man across the face.

He was sentenced in August 2020 to 19 months' jail for causing grievous bodily harm and a further two months for common assault after pleading guilty.

The overall jail term was partially suspended, after the offender had served 5.5 months, upon him entering a good behaviour order for two years.

In March of this year, McIntosh was sentenced in the Magistrates Court to two months' jail after pleading guilty to possessing an offensive weapon with intent and, thereby, breached the good behaviour order.

In relation to that incident, police said an intoxicated and "extremely aggressive" McIntosh was at a Conder house in the early hours of December 23 last year when he brandished a large kitchen knife, causing people he was with to flee.

When police arrived at the house, they saw a young man fleeing, who told them "they're f---ing fighting, he's got a f---ing knife."

They then saw another man run out the front door, appearing "agitated and panicked".

The man closed the metal fly-screen door behind him, using his foot to keep it shut while continuing to argue with McIntosh.

The offender then shoved the knife through the screen door at the man's chest then face before he lowered the weapon and was arrested.

Police said McIntosh was "unsteady on his feet, incoherent in his speech and smelling of an intoxicating substance".

The court heard what while McIntosh claimed to take responsibility for his offending, he showed the author of the pre-sentence report no insight into the impact on his victims.

The author found McIntosh to have a medium to high risk of general reoffending and suitable for a community-based order.

Brett McIntosh. Picture: Facebook

Justice David Mossop in re-sentencing McIntosh said the agreed facts did not disclose the reasons for the argument and the offender resorting to a knife.

"I have at the moment unexplained drunken anger leading to the deployment of a weapon," Justice Mossop said.

He cancelled the good behaviour order for the grievous bodily harm offence and re-sentenced McIntosh to a 10-month intensive corrections order to end next May.

The offender was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.

Justice Mossop warned McIntosh that if he did not comply with the order, he "can get sent back to prison for short periods" and "be brought back [to court] for a significant breach".

Following his sentencing, the offender, who had spent five days in custody for the breach, hugged family members in the public gallery with them telling him "no more drugs and alcohol" and "so happy though".

One told The Canberra Times "there you go, you've got something to write now".

The sentence for his slap was fully served and was not subjected to any breach proceedings.

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