A man who pulled a 10cm knife during a brawl that terrorised families at a busy Hobart shopping centre has been spared immediate imprisonment by the Supreme Court.
Danny Crawford, 22, was handed a nine-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to affray and being unlawfully armed in public over the October 2023 incident at Eastlands in Rosny.
The ordeal unfolded on the first day of school holidays as about 20 people, including children and elderly shoppers, watched in horror.
What began as a verbal argument between two groups quickly escalated into a full-scale brawl involving multiple participants trading punches, pulling hair and using shopping trolleys as weapons.
Crawford became the most dangerous participant when he brandished the knife and threatened to kill another involved in the fight.
“You stood in a threatening posture, saying words to the effect that you were going to kill [another man],” Supreme Court Justice Helen Wood said.
The violence caused widespread panic, with children screaming and crying in their prams as the fight raged around them.
Shop owners closed their security doors to protect customers while members of the public fled to nearby stores or backed themselves into corners.
“Centre security observed you brandishing the knife and were fearful that someone was about to be stabbed,” Justice Wood said.
The court heard Crawford has a moderate intellectual disability and had been receiving support for anger management and mental health issues since November 2023.
His social worker described his struggles with impulsive behaviour, difficulty processing decisions under pressure and problems regulating emotions.
Justice Wood said violent public brawling typically warranted immediate imprisonment, particularly when weapons were involved.
However, she said Crawford’s age, disability and existing support services justified a suspended sentence focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Crawford must complete 18 months of community supervision including anger management counselling and mental health support.
He remains in custody on unrelated charges and has committed additional weapons offences since the shopping centre incident.
If he commits any imprisonable offence within 18 months, he will serve the suspended jail term.
