A Bendigo man who threatened to smash up his 19-year-old nephew's car with a tomahawk for failing to clean his room has been told by a magistrate to "learn to get along with him" if they are to continue to live together.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The man, 30 at the time of the offending, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the nephew, pleaded guilty to breaching an intervention order, a family violence intervention order and dangerous driving in Bendigo Magistrates Court on July 26.
Magistrate Russell Kelly warned the man this was a "watershed moment" if he wanted to avoid ending up in prison.
He said the man could not continue to act as a "one man posse" and exact justice as he saw fit.
The man was ordered to complete an 18-month community correction order including undergoing an alcohol abuse program and to lose his license for six months.
The first charge the accused pleaded guilty to was an assault on his sister's brother-in-law.
MORE NEWS
On September 9 last year just before 7pm the accused drove to the property of his his sister's brother-in-law and accused him of sexually touching his sister's children.
During a confrontation in the front garden which lasted for around 15 minutes the 30-year-old grabbed the other man by the shirt and ripped it open.
The man then fled into the house and closed the security door, with the accused then kicking the door and threatening the man.
On September 12 an intervention order was taken out against the 30-year-old by the man.
However on October 5 he was sent social media messages by the accused telling him to "watch out", that he was "coming for" him and the he had "better not sleep".
The second breach of an intervention order occurred earlier this year after the man's 19-year-old nephew took a family violence intervention order out against him in December.
The nephew, who lives with the accused, took out the order after threats were made to attack his car with a tomahawk on Christmas Day 2022 after he failed to clean his bedroom.
The breach took place on January 2 when the 30-year-old went, who was drunk, into the nephew's bedroom and again threatened to destroy his car if he did not clean up his room.
The court heard the same night the man let down all the tyres on his nephew's car as a "scare tactic".
The second breach of the family violence intervention order was again against his nephew and took place on March 3 when, again while the accused was drunk, they argued after his nephew refused to drive him to McDonalds.
READ NOW
After police were called the 30-year-old, who was by then in the back yard, attempted to flee by jumping the fence but was arrested and taken to the Bendigo police station.
The incident was a direct breach as the man was barred from drinking alcohol around his nephew.
The final charge the man pleaded guilty to was dangerous driving on May 2 last year in Quarry Hill.
Just after 8:30pm the man pulled up to roadworks which were only allowing one stream of traffic due to construction work.
The man veered onto the wrong side of the road and when a worker stepped out to tell him to stop the 30-year-old drove past him, hitting him in the shoulder with the wing mirror. The man kept driving believing the worker had intentionally struck his car.
Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.
