James Michael Greenup: Ex-Geraldton taxi driver sentenced to six years jail for machete attack on passenger

A former Geraldton taxi driver who was found guilty of slashing a passenger’s neck with a machete has been sentenced to six years behind bars. James Michael Greenup appeared by video link from Hakea Prison in Perth District Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for the attack which shocked Geraldton last year. Greenup stood trial in the Geraldton District Court earlier this month, charged with causing grievous bodily harm to passenger Charlie Collard in the early hours of March 21, 2021, at Beresford. After a four-day trial, which began with Greenup making a formal admission that the machete accidentally came in contact with Mr Collard’s neck, the jury delivered their guilty verdict. During the trial, the court was told how Greenup picked Mr Collard up about 1.40am after a night out at the Freemasons Hotel. Mr Collard shared the ride with two other passengers, a couple heading to the Broadwater Mariner Resort, and he planned to continue the trip to his home in Glenfield. After dropping the couple off, Greenup and Mr Collard got into a disagreement and he was told to leave the taxi, the court heard. Mr Collard tried to reason with the driver to take him home, as his phone was dead and he had little chance of getting another taxi. It’s then that Greenup became heated and stated, “get the f... out of the cab you c... or I’ll make you p...”, to which Mr Collard replied “you and who”? Greenup then reached down and said “meet my friend Mr Machete” before striking Mr Collard in the left side of his neck with the 64cm weapon, piercing his jugular vein. Greenup then reversed, and Mr Collard, with one leg in and one leg out, was dragged along the ground underneath the car, the prosecution claimed. Defence lawyer George Giudice said Greenup was sorry about the injuries Mr Collard suffered and felt remorse about the incident. The court was told that Greenup wanted to apologise for the racist remarks he made after the decision was handed down. “If I can turn back time and change it I would,” Greenup said of that fateful night. Judge Fiona Vernon said it was difficult for her to accept his remorse as genuine given the timing. She also noted that his evidence was full of inconsistencies and lacked common sense. Greenup argued during the trial that he acted in self-defence, after Mr Collard starting punching him. This allegation was denied by Mr Collard. Judge Vernon said she had no doubts that Greenup knew the machete made contact with Mr Collard’s neck, as he had claimed otherwise during the trial. While she praised Mr Collard’s decision-making after he was left lying in a pool of his own blood, stating his “presence of mind in that time was remarkable”. Judge Vernon said the outcome could have been much different given the amount of blood Mr Collard lost. As to why Greenup carried the machete on that night, the judge said her best guess was that he intimidated passengers that weren’t going to pay or who were abusive. Judge Vernon said it was likely Greenup “was quicker to take offence from an Indigenous person” than those passengers who weren’t Indigenous. The court heard how Mr Collard still suffers physically and mentally 18 months on from the attack, including PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks. Greenup claimed that he had faced threats of violence while in prison. Judge Vernon said that she could not accept Greenup’s account given his lack of honesty in the past. However, she did acknowledge Greenup grew up in a violent household and suffered from numerous disadvantages. Taking all of these factors into account, Judge Vernon sentenced Greenup to six years imprisonment, backdated to September 8. He will be eligible for parole in September 2027 after serving four years. Greenup shook his head as the sentence was delivered and was disconnected from the video link as he made his displeasure heard.