A 32-year-old man from Young who brandished a knife and intimidated staff at the Young District Hospital will spend until January next year behind bars.
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Matthew Albert Sheather was sentenced to two years jail with a non-parole period of eight months at Young Local Court on Tuesday, July 16.
He was convicted on a string of charges including intimidation, having custody of a knife in a public place, possess prohibited drug, and destroy or damage property.
The court heard that Sheather was released from jail only four days prior, and was on parole relating to other matters, when the offences occurred about 10.30pm on May 25.
Sheather, who appeared via audio visual link from jail, said the drug "ice made me do it".
"It's a very sad state of affairs and one this court won't allow to continue," Magistrate Michael O'Brien said.
Police facts reveal nursing staff alerted police officers, who were at the hospital at the time, to Sheather wielding a large black handled knife in the hospital waiting room.
Police secured the knife after ordering him to drop it. Police say Sheather was agitated, sweating profusely and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
He was arrested, handcuffed and searched. Police located a small resealable bag containing ice.
Sheather told police he had ingested ice about an hour before attending the hospital.
At court, Sheather said he "needed help".
"I stuffed up by using ice. I went off my head at the hospital. I think it was the ice. Ice made me do it. I wasn't there to hurt anyone. I didn't want to hurt them. I was on the ice," he said via audio visual link.
"I went to the hospital because I needed help. I shouldn't have touched the drug. I really did stuff up this time, Your Honour, I wish I didn't take the drug."
Magistrate Michael O'Brien said the staff were "terrorised" and the community was "rightly fed up" of people using ice and not knowing what they may be capable of.
He also noted that Sheather damaged a resuscitation machine.
"When limited resources are in regional areas we have someone compounding the problem for the rest of the community," he said.
He'll be eligible for release on January 24, 2020.
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