February 26, 2016
by Dafyd Martindale
On Monday this week I attended Kingaroy Magistrates Court to answer a charge of common assault that had been filed against me after a complaint to police by Mayoral candidate Grant Newson.
I pleaded guilty to momentarily losing my temper, grabbing Mr Newson by the collar and saying some harsh words to him.
Magistrate Barry Barrett placed me on a $300 good behaviour bond for four months but did not record a conviction.
This was about the lowest penalty the court could impose and I appreciate the consideration the Magistrate showed me.
I am, after all, not usually a violent man.
This was the first time in my 61 years that I’ve been in a court anywhere but at the reporter’s desk.
However, Mr Newson lost no time in gleefully spreading news of my non-conviction as far and as wide as he could.
Is there a media organisation in south-east Queensland that he didn’t contact?
When the Courier-Mail published Mr Newson’s version of events on Thursday, my phone lit up like a Christmas tree.
(And weren’t there any court cases on Monday more significant or interesting for Queensland’s daily newspaper to highlight than a single count of common assault heard in Kingaroy? But I digress …)
For those interested, here’s the other side of the story that News Limited’s overworked journalists did not research:
Over the last two years, Grant Newson and his former mates in the South Burnett Residents Action Group (S-BRAG or now SBRAG) have waged a non-stop campaign of hatred, vilification, smears and half-truths against just about everyone good, decent and hard-working in the South Burnett.
They have worked overtime to spread fear and division throughout our region, attacking Councillors, council staff, community groups and innocent individuals – even the reputation of our region itself – relying on the anonymity of incorporated associations and the woeful inadequacy of defamation laws.
My wife and I have been victims of this, too.
Mr Newson hates us because we have refused to publish stories about his puerile publicity stunts, or to give any air to the unsubstantiated allegations he wants to spread about good and decent people in our region (such as his most recent attempt this week, when he alleged Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington and three of his Mayoral rivals supported plans for a Kingaroy coal mine – we published the photos that showed this was pure bunkum – see MP Rejects Facebook Rumours).
And his mates (and former mates) on SBRAG hate us because we exposed the far right-wing political connections some of their leading lights have, which they sought to hide from their group’s members.
For the past two years Mr Newson and his cohorts have been alleging that southburnett.com.au is owned by the Council and/or paid large amounts of money by the Council – neither of which are true, and which we’re happy to prove to anyone who wants to drop by our office (curiously, despite repeated invitations, no one from SBRAG ever has).
Mr Newson has also been questioning our honesty, integrity and professionalism, and implying that we have some hidden agenda rather than just working hard to bring our region the best 100% locally owned news service we possibly can.
Personally, SBRAG’s insane allegations about southburnett.com.au have run off me like water off a duck’s back.
I know they’re untrue. My friends and colleagues know they’re untrue. And I’m quite confident time will show the whole world they’re untrue, just as I’m confident that eventually SBRAG will crawl back under the rock they emerged from.
But sadly, my wife does not have the same resilience.
And as time has gone by, she has found that her happiness and peace of mind have been upset by this non-stop stream of lies and abuse.
But when Mr Newson was told about this, rather than back off as any decent person might do, he seemed to simply redouble his attacks.
I believe he chose to sit at the media desk in a bid to provoke me; and unfortunately he hooked me and reeled me in on Monday.
This is just the latest stunt Mr Newson and his SBRAGgers have performed at a Council meeting … remember the “I’m With Stupid” badges?
I question why anyone would ever consider giving this man a vote in any election, let alone trust him with directing the fate of the South Burnett as Mayor.
Anyway, now you know the full story about why I assaulted Grant Newson.
Make up your own mind.
