Taxi machete assault victim Charlie Collard ‘reasonably happy’ with six-year jail term for attacker

A Geraldton man who was left fighting for his life after a taxi driver attacked him with a machete last year says he is “reasonably happy” with the outcome after the culprit was sentenced to six years behind bars.

Former taxi driver James Michael Greenup was sentenced on Wednesday, after being found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to passenger Charlie Collard in the early hours of March 21, 2021, at Beresford, following a four-day trial.

Speaking after the sentence was handed down, Mr Collard said he expected Greenup to receive a lesser term.

“I mean, they initially told me that he could get three to five years, I thought that was going to be fairly light, but the judge thought better of it,” he said.

“I was reasonably happy with the outcome, considering that the charge was just grievous bodily harm and nothing that showed intent.”

Mr Collard said it was disappointing to hear that Greenup had made further comments against his family on Wednesday.

“How can you be remorseful and the remorse comes during sentencing. Just to try and have it reduced as much as possible,” he said.

Greenup made a formal admission at the start of the trial that the machete accidentally came in contact with Mr Collard’s neck.

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 Resort, and he planned to continue the trip to his home in Glenfield.

After dropping the couple off, Greenup snapped and told Collard to leave the taxi, the court was told.

Despite Mr Collard’s attempts to reason with the driver to take him home, Greenup became heated and stated, “get the f... out of the cab you c... or I’ll make you p...”

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.

With blood flowing “like a water pistol” out of his neck, Greenup reversed out of the driveway and Mr Collard, was dragged along the ground underneath the car.

Defence lawyer George Giudice said Greenup was sorry about the injuries Mr Collard suffered and felt remorse about the incident.

“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.

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”.

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.

Appearing in court from Hakea Prison, 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.

Greenup’s six-year sentence was backdated to September 8.

A violence restraining order is also in place, banning him from being within 25m of Mr Collard.

Greenup will be eligible for parole in September 2027 after serving four years.