A MAN who brandished a butcher’s cleaver at a taxi driver and a passenger during a “terrifying” assault in Bendigo has been placed on a 12 month good behaviour bond.
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Scott Bury, 47, of Bendigo, pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday in relation to the incident with the meat cleaver on July 2.
Bury continued to deny he had assaulted the female driver, but accepted the charge when he was told of his likely sentence.
Prosecutor Senior Sergeant Brett Sheppard told court Bury caught a taxi in Bendigo with another man at 9pm, sitting behind the driver while the other passenger sat in the front.
The pair started to argue over drugs, and as it became more heated, Bury pulled out a “large butcher’s knife”.
In a statement, the driver told police Bury swung the knife at her, and it came within centimetres of her head before the passenger stopped it with his arm.
The court heard the driver was “extremely scared” and made eye contact with Bury, who demanded she drop him off on King Street.
The other man was taken to another address.
The driver was called to another job on King Street soon after, where she picked up Bury once again.
Bury remained agitated and was convinced the driver and the first passenger “were related”.
Senior Sergeant Sheppard said Bury told the driver if the other man ever came near him he would “hunt her down, tie her down and make her watch him slice (family members) up”, while making gestures with his hand.
The court heard Bury was obscured on the CCTV footage for a large portion of the altercation, but he could be seen leaning over a with a large knife on one occasion.
The other passenger did not want to make a report to police, but told police the driver “was terrified”.
Bury represented himself in court, and attempted to downplay the seriousness of the assault.
“If it was that bad, she would have hit the duress alarm. They get told that’s what to do during their training,” he said.
“He (the passenger) wouldn’t pay his cab fare back to his place. There was no threat to anybody.”
Bury shook his head repeatedly as the summary of events was read out to the court.
Magistrate Timothy Bourke said taxi drivers had the right to feel secure in their workplace, and there was “no need” for the actions of Bury.
“I imagine any taxi driver would be horrified at having a knife pulled on them,” he said.
“This was King Street, Bendigo, not King Street, Melbourne.”
Bury was placed on a 12 month good behaviour bond and made to complete an anger management course.
He also pleaded guilty to 15 charges for using a credit card he found on the ground to make $859 of purchases at Woolworths Golden Square, Safeway Bendigo, Big W, Coles Bendigo, Chemist Warehouse and Hungry Jack’s on August 31 and September 1, 2013.
Bury was made to pay back the $859.