By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A man who used a cocktail of ‘ice’ and psychiatric medication threatened to detonate a device from his belt and turn Dandenong PSOs into “pink mist”, a court has heard.
Damien Elfring, 42, of Doveton, had taken issue with four PSOs following a group of people on 28 January, namely that one of the PSOs was armed with capsicum spray.
He became aggressive in several exchanges over the next 40 minutes.
At one point Elfring pulled a small black item from his belt and told the officers that it was a bomb, the court heard.
On his arrest, officers seized a pocket-knife, a container of razor blades and deal-bags from Elfring – who described himself as a “doomsday prepper”.
He had intended just to antagonise the PSOs, not to carry out the threats, Elfring later told police.
Elfring told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 20 August that he needed to take ‘ice’ to “motivate” himself, to counteract his medication’s sedative effects.
“I’m not motivated to do anything, I put on excessive amounts of weight and I don’t even enjoy watching TV,” he said.
“I’m just a zombie.”
With ice, he had the will to exercise and lose weight, he told the court.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen warned Elfring that the consequences were harmful.
“Damien, you need to listen to the mental health team. When you’re taking the depot injection, it is not a good idea to take ice.
“Ice is a very dangerous drug. You should not be taking it – no one should be.”
Elfring pleaded guilty to all charges, including grabbing his neighbour in a tight headlock and telling him to “go to sleep” during a confrontation outside the victim’s house in March.
The victim told police he struggled as he lost consciousness. At one point, Elfring jumped on top of the victim lying on the ground.
A personal safety intervention order was issued to protect the victim, who suffered minor cuts to his buttock, face and body.
Elfring hadn’t since breached the intervention order, the court heard.
He was also charged with shoplifting at bottle shops, a supermarket and Target store, as well as possessing a Stanley knife as a controlled weapon and failing to answer bail.
Mr Vandersteen noted Elfring had been on a community treatment order for complex mental health issues over the past year, and was distressed by his dog going missing several months ago.
Elfring’s long criminal history had gone quiet in the past several years, Mr Vandersteen noted.
Mr Vandersteen remanded Elfring to undertake a community corrections order assessment to address his drug and mental health issues.
