Man was going to mall ‘to stab a woman’
When an intellectually disabled man was stopped in Shirley Road with two knives in his pockets, he told police he was going to The Palms shopping centre to stab a woman.
Thomas David Cairns, 30, has been forbidden to contact a named person – presumably his intended victim – while he serves a one-year term of intensive supervision.
He will also have to serve three months of community detention which will keep him at home under curfew on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.
Defence counsel Colin Eason said Cairns was already supervised by living with his mother and having a job at his father’s business.
He said Cairns “has some challenges” through having a brain injury. He had not been able to progress much through his education, but had been largely kept on track through parental support and there had been no offending since 2012.
He had been drinking whisky on the night of the incident, but had not drunk alcohol since.
Cairns had pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of offensive weapons, the two knives.
Judge Stephen O’Driscoll said the incident took place at 11pm on a Saturday in March. He was stopped on Shirley Road with two black-handled knives in his pockets.
“In explanation you said you were going to The Palms to find a certain person, the victim in this matter, because you wanted to stab her.”
He said Cairns had a history of brain injury which caused a mild intellectual disability and meant he was highly suggestible and had bouts of anger and frustration. He was assessed as a medium risk of reoffending and causing harm to others.
He noted Cairns had previous convictions for assault, assault with intent to injure, and possession of an offensive weapon. He warned that Cairns would be at risk of imprisonment if found with an offensive weapon again.
He imposed the community detention, and the intensive supervision with special conditions that Cairns be assessed for alcohol and drug use, attend counselling, treatment or programmes as directed, and not contact the named person. He will also have to make contact with the Brain Injury Trust.
The judge told Cairns: “The carriage of knives by persons who are intoxicated is serious.” Their intentions usually had to be inferred from their conduct, but in this case Cairns had clearly expressed his intention to the police.
Category: Focus
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