Jason Arthur Monaghan, 52, was handed eight charges over six alleged incidents around the Canberra Centre before he applied for bail. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A man became angry after he heard he would be refused bail for allegedly assaulting or threatening numerous strangers in or near the Canberra Centre over several months.
Jason Arthur Monaghan, 52, faces eight charges from six alleged incidents between September 2024 and earlier this year involving people he’d never met before.
It is alleged he hit one person with the back of his hand unexpectedly, kicked a busker’s guitar because he was playing too loudly, lunged at a woman and struck her so hard her glasses indented into her face, then punched a man in the head, the ACT Magistrates Court heard.
Also, the court heard he allegedly had a steak knife with him on one occasion, stole a knife from a tradie’s vehicle on another occasion and threatened to kill several men, then also used a hammer to threaten people.
Monaghan’s charges are four counts of assault, two counts of possessing an offensive weapon or disabling substances, and two counts of possessing a knife without a reasonable excuse.
While his lawyers have previously applied to dismiss one of his charges on mental health grounds, this application was refused by a magistrate.
Monaghan spent about 138 days in custody on the charges before he appeared in the Magistrates Court on Wednesday (26 November) to apply for bail.
The prosecutor, who opposed bail, said the alleged assaults occurred at random in or near the Canberra Centre and her office was concerned about the risk he posed to members of the public.
The defence lawyer, David Bloomfield of Legal Aid, said his client was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had an acquired brain injury. He also had his own house through ACT Housing and received support four days a week from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The significant supports he had in the community would reduce the risks of reoffending, Mr Bloomfield said.
He also said the case had already been adjourned to January 2026 as his team was seeking an assessment from a psychiatrist.
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said the allegations were not the most serious, but each would have been extremely distressing and would have resulted in actual harm to some people.
She said even with all the supports available to him, Monaghan had still come before the court on these types of allegations.
“Offending of this kind can very quickly get out of hand and cause a greater harm than what has been alleged,” she said.
The chief magistrate noted Monaghan allegedly engaged in substance abuse and said she was concerned about the risk to the community and refused bail.
Monaghan spoke up before she made her decision to say, “I abide by the law”.
When she refused bail, he screamed at her, “I’m not even guilty”, then appeared to make a slur at her or someone else in the courtroom.
He was escorted out of the courtroom by custodial officers. The matter returns to court on 22 January.
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