A jealous boyfriend who crashed his car into a Sydney McDonald’s in an attempt to run over his partner claimed he did so because his PlayStation 5 was manipulating his mind, a court has heard.
Abbas Hayder Al-Khafaji, 28, faced the Sydney Downing Center on Friday before his sentencing in March, with the court hearing how he had written a “letter of apology” to the court and the victim.
In the letter, Mr Al-Khafaji said the McDonald’s incident happened because his TV, PlayStation 5 and car radio were “manipulating” his mind.
Abbas Al Khafaji crashed his car into a McDonald’s trying to harm his parents after claiming his PS5 had manipulated his mind. 7NEWS Australia / Youtube The dramatic scene took place in February 2022. 7NEWS Australia / Youtube
Mr Al-Khafaji’s lawyer Michael Fantin used the letter to argue to the court there was an “underlying mental health condition there” that needed to be taken into account when sentencing.
The court also heard that when Mr Al-Khafaji was arrested at Narellan Police Station after the incident, he also told police “the PS5 and his phone were monitoring him”.
The dramatic scene took place in February 2022 with Mr Al-Khafaji jumping out of his car brandishing a knife after he crashed into the fast food restaurant.
Al Khafaji had also taken marijuana before the incident. 7NEWS Australia / Youtube Al-Khafaji said the McDonald’s incident happened because his TV, PlayStation 5 and car radio were “manipulating” his mind. 7NEWS Australia / Youtube
Mr Al-Khafaji can then be seen on CCTV approaching the victim, accusing him of cheating on him. A 23-year-old manager stepped in and called the police.
Judge Tanya Smith on Friday heard how Mr Al-Khafaji had been diagnosed with psychosis in 2019 and had stopped taking his medication at the time of the incident.
He also used to take marijuana.
Al Khafaji will be sentenced on March 28. 7NEWS Australia / Youtube
Mr Fantin said his client was out of control and “not himself” at the time of the incident, which was underlined by the victim’s account of what happened.
“He said this is not someone I know [in her statement],” said his lawyer.
“This is a man who repeatedly asks him ‘Where are you? What are you doing?’ If someone is really agitated, he will yell or scream at that person but he is calm. He didn’t yell at her, he just repeated himself.”
On the previous occasion, Mr Al-Khafaji pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence, destroying or damaging property worth between $5000 and $15,000, and breaching the terms of an AVO.
He will be sentenced on March 28.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
