Tomahawk stand-off lands man 60 hours of community service in Geraldton

A man has been sentenced to 60 hours community service in Geraldton after a tense stand-off with police last month during which he waved a tomahawk above his head. Thomas Romana Martin was arrested outside his Geraldton home just before 9pm on February 7 after a neighbour reported hearing yelling and arguing coming from the house. On arrival, they found Martin standing in his driveway, yelling and holding the tomahawk above his head. Prosecutor Sgt Beau Jones said the 46-year-old refused to drop the weapon and “stared menacingly at police”. “His partner attempted to take the weapon from him, leading him to swear profusely and threaten her,” he said. “After continued requests, he knelt on the driveway and put the weapon down.” Martin appeared in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court the day after the incident and pleaded guilty to the offence. He reappeared in the same court on Monday when defence lawyer Kelly Beard said the man had recently moved to Geraldton from Sydney and found himself out of work for the first time, leading to a depressive episode. “He was very intoxicated that night,” she said. “In circumstances where he was very depressed, any alcohol would have only acted to exasperate the violent feelings. “This was out-of-character for him and was so significant he hasn’t had a drink of alcohol since.” Martin was sentenced to a six-month community-based order, with 60 hours of community service required by Magistrate Chris Miocevich. “This incident could have ended terribly for you, your partner or the police,” he said. “Someone who’s drunk and armed themselves, well this could have ended in tragedy.” He was ordered to pay court costs of $130.50 and given a spent conviction because of his prior good behaviour.