Man avoids jail for stabbing alleged meth dealer with a knife

A man was warned about taking the law into his own hands when he was sentenced for using a knife to stab the arm of a person he claimed was a drug dealer during an argument.

Bradley Richard Sheldrick, a 54-year-old from Watson, pleaded guilty to a charge of intentional wounding before he was sentenced in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday (28 April).

He and the man, who was known to him, got into an argument in a car park on the night of 21 March 2024, court documents say.

Sheldrick then approached the man with a knife and said, “Don’t come into my block and kick my door. I called the police”.

He stabbed the man in the arm with the knife. The man returned home and later called police to say he’d been stabbed and was bleeding heavily.

Police arrived to find a woman standing with Sheldrick after taking the knife off him, then also found the man with a 2-centimetre puncture wound to his arm.

The officers thought Sheldrick was intoxicated, and he told them he’d drunk a whole bottle of whiskey that afternoon.

He spent four days in custody after he was arrested before being granted bail.

In the Magistrates Court on Monday, his lawyer, Anastasia Qvist from Fortify Legal, described the incident as alcohol-fuelled violence.

“Alcohol is the driving factor here,” she said.

But she said since the incident, her client had voluntarily engaged in programs to address his alcohol use, and has engaged in community and pro-social activities, including reconnecting with his church.

While he was still drinking alcohol, he hadn’t offended again since this incident, Ms Qvist said.

Magistrate Alexandra Burt said Sheldrick had reported having difficulties with the man and had claimed he was trafficking methamphetamine.

“Mr Sheldrick, people can’t take the law into their own hands,” she said.

She told him he shouldn’t have gone outside when armed with a knife.

Magistrate Burt described the circumstances that led to the attack as “troubling”, but also said it appeared the wound to the man’s arm had healed, although he was left with a scar.

She ultimately thought Sheldrick was genuinely remorseful.

“Alcohol is not an excuse, it’s not mitigation, it just explains the lack of judgment in part,” she said.

He was sentenced to seven months’ jail, suspended after four days to take into account time spent in custody.

He must complete a 12-month good behaviour order, as part of which he must be assessed for programs related to alcohol consumption.