A man who launched a tirade of offensive accusations at several magistrates and lawyers behaved in an "abusive, appalling and belligerent" manner, a court has heard.
"You're a bunch of corrupt c---s," Stephen Paul Maunsell told one judicial officer in February 2023, ignoring repeated warnings about his language.
Told to stop using profanity in court several months later, the 49-year-old launched into another tirade that forced proceedings to come to a halt.
Maunsell was sentenced in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 26, after pleading guilty to a rolled-up charge of contempt of court.
He was handed a three-month jail sentence - fully suspended upon entering a good behaviour order - and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service.
Maunsell sat silently with his head bowed for most of the hearing, writing in a notepad as special magistrate Lucinda Wilson handed down the sentence.
The court heard the man engaged in disruptive behavior on three separate occasions in 2023, forcing judicial officers to stand matters down.
He also refused to have his case heard unless it was in front of a particular magistrate.
Barrister Katrina Musgrove, appearing for the registrar, said Maunsell had handed up a "highly generalised" letter of apology that lacked the insight needed "to warrant the negation of specific deterrence".
The man's defence lawyer argued there had been no further instances of similar conduct since 2023, adding that his client had learnt from the experience and understood the seriousness of his actions.
During sentencing, Ms Wilson said Maunsell interfered with the proper administration of justice on multiple occasions and needed to be punished "to protect the dignity of the court".
"How dare you behave in such a manner that two judicial officers of this court cannot proceed in the interest of justice," she said.
"If conduct such as yours is able to continue in this jurisdiction, or anywhere, the rule of law is impacted [and] the proper administration of justice is impacted."
She described his "arrogance" in demanding a specific magistrate as "particularly grievous".
She also warned that the justice system "would collapse" if defendants were allowed to misbehave simply to force a bench they preferred.
Ms Wilson said she did not accept submissions that he was ignorant of court etiquette, noting he had appeared before the courts prior to these outbursts.
While noting that the need for specific and general deterrence was extremely high, Ms Wilson ruled that a fully suspended sentence was appropriate given delays in the court proceedings, his subjective circumstances, and his remorse.
