Christopher Jehan convicted in Orange for caravan park threat

Christopher Eric Jehan, 50, had been staying at Colour City Caravan Park when he knocked on the door of another unit on the evening of April 23 and asked the other man if he had called the police the night before.

When the victim told Jehan that he had, the latter said: "I'm going to stab you and get back in my room, you piece of s--t".

Jehan had then walked over the road to a telephone-booth but then come back again - attempting to again climb the stairs to the victim's unit. This had prompted the other man to call the police.

The victim later told police he had felt "threatened for his life" by Jehan's behaviour.

When police arrived at the caravan park shortly before 7.30pm, they found Jehan back in the phonebooth that was located near the victim's unit. He was placed under arrest and taken to Orange Police Station.

Once there, officers said they were unable to formally interview Jehan "due to his aggressive behaviour".

In Orange Local Court last week, Jehan appeared via video link from police custody - which he had been in since the night of the offence in April.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge of stalk/intimidate against the other man who was not known to him.

Jehan's solitcior Mason Manwaring said his client's memory of events from that night was "poor, to say the least, due to the consumption of alcohol".

Mr Manwaring further added that his client used alcohol to self-medicate ongoing issues which were caused by childhood trauma.

"He bottled everything up for a lot of years... [and] he takes solace in alcohol," Mr Manwaring said.

"He's clearly a man who requires ongoing [help]."

Magistrate David Day, in turn, described Jehan's behaviour the night he threatened the other caravan park tenant as "odd", adding that, whatever his intentions were, he caused great distress to his victim.

Mr Day said the seriousness of Jehan's offending needed a sentence which consisted of rehabilitation, as well as him abstaining from alcohol.

Jehan was convicted and sentenced to a two-year Community Corrections Order with supervision. He was also placed on a conditional release order, entailing rehabilitation for alcohol dependence.

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