Man ordered to forfeit box cutter he used to threaten Kalgoorlie-Boulder police after crashing his car

A man did not think he put anyone at-risk when he used a box cutter to threaten Kalgoorlie-Boulder police after crashing his car, a court has been told. Gregory Terrance Cooksley appeared in Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Monday to be sentenced on four charges after sentencing was previously put off to give him the chance to seek legal advice. The 53-year-old’s offences related to an incident when he turned his aggression on police who tried to assist him after he crashed a Hyundai Elantra shortly after 5am on January 12. His charges included driving with a prescribed illicit drug in his system, carrying an article with the intent to cause fear, making a threat to unlawfully do an act, and obstructing a public officer. Police prosecutor Matthew Fullgrabe said Cooksley yelled at police from inside his vehicle when they tried to speak with him, before pulling out a Stanley knife box cutter. Sen. Const. Fullgrabe said he extended the knife, holding it in the direction of police and telling officers to “f... off”. He continued to shout and swear at police while trying to leave the car through the driver’s side door, which would not open after being damaged in the crash. Cooksley then tried to leave through the passenger’s side door but police tasered him before he could get out. A blood sample taken on the day tested positive for cannabis. Sen. Const. Fullgrabe noted the matter unfolded after police tried to help Cooksley. He said it was “lucky” for Cooksley the police were able to stop him before the situation escalated further. Cooksley’s lawyer Will Reid told the court his client accepted the charges were serious. Mr Reid said Cooksley initially thought it was possible he could have suffered a seizure which may have caused the crash but this position was “not maintained”. Magistrate Janie Gibbs said Cooksley’s reaction was “entirely disproportionate” to police who were doing their job. She told the court a pre-sentence report she had read revealed Cooksley tried to “minimise responsibility” for his actions and believed “no one was really at-risk” by his offences. Ms Gibbs said he seemed to have “skewed ideas” about what was appropriate behaviour in public. She gave him a 20 per cent discount on his sentence to acknowledge his early guilty plea. Cooksley was sentenced to eight months jail which he will not need to serve unless he reoffends in the next 12 months. For driving with cannabis in his system he was handed a $400 fine. Ms Gibbs ordered Cooksley to forfeit the Stanley knife he used to threaten police.