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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Lanie Tindale

'Idiot' accused of EPIC assault in shouting match with magistrate about flesh

Cameron McKay, otherwise known as Cameron Robert of the McKay House, gesturing to journalists and said he would not make comments despite not being asked to. Picture: Toby Vue

A NSW "idiot" accused of assaulting a woman at EPIC during protest activities has had a shouting match with a magistrate about his flesh and his name after he was extradited to the territory.

Cameron Robert McKay, 34, is accused of assaulting the woman, in her 60s, in February. She later needed surgery to both her wrists, ACT Policing said on Friday. He has previously been accused of writing "gobbledygook" to an ACT court

McKay, of Kings Langley in NSW, allegedly fractured both the woman's wrists "while causing a disturbance".

The woman was working at a venue inside EPIC at the time.

In May, McKay was arrested in Sydney and granted bail to attend the ACT Magistrates Court.

He was later granted court bail on the condition he return to the ACT for future appearances, but he allegedly failed to do so in June and July.

On Wednesday, NSW police arrested him and ACT police subsequently had him extradited.

He appeared in the Magistrates Court on Friday when he pleaded not guilty to recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm, trespassing on premises, failing to comply with a magistrate's order and failing to appear in court as part of bail.

He represented himself and applied for bail. From the get-go, he argued with special magistrate Margaret Hunter about his name.

"You can call me Cameron Robert of the House McKay," he said.

"I'm not a person ... I'm under duress right now. The name that you have there is not I [sic].

"It's not under the Chicago Style Manual."

As the argument prolonged, Ms Hunter told him: "No, you're an idiot, Mr McKay".

"That's what you are ... you are wasting the court's time," she said.

After the parties settled on his name being Cameron Robert, as opposed to Cameron McKay as listed in the court documents, he continued to talk over Ms Hunter.

"Shut up until I'm finished," she said.

The defendant argued he did not fail to appear because "I made a special appearance by way of registered mail" but said he did not receive a response.

"All of this stuff you're doing to me - a living, breathing man who is appearing via a monitor to speak to you," he said.

Ms Hunter asked her associate to mute him at times after warning him to respect the process and be quiet when others were speaking.

"Shush, shush. Turn him off. I've told him," she said.

When the hearing finally got to the bail application, Ms Hunter asked him why it should be granted.

"I will attend in the flesh," McKay said then reiterated that notion during the latter stages of the hearing.

Ms Hunter said she was minded to grant him bail only if he promised to attend in the flesh.

McKay turning back to yell at journalists. Picture: Toby Vue

The defendant also asked Ms Hunter to change his name in court documents to "Cameron Robert of the McKay House", which the special magistrate noted.

He said he still lived "near Kings Langley" because "I don't live in the postal box that's connected to the house".

"I live everywhere my fleshly body goes," he said.

A prosecutor opposed bail based on the likelihood of him failing to appear in court.

She said there were "significant concerns about not only his acceptance of bail conditions, but [also his] willingness and ability to comply with them".

When the defendant tasted the cool Canberra air as he stepped out of the courts building, he gestured to journalists and said "no comment" despite not being asked to comment.

But then he made comments, by way of yelling, to those journalists.

His bail conditions include reporting to Blacktown Police Station. He is scheduled to re-attend court in the flesh on October 7.

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