Former Wagga sergeant avoids jail after violent threats prompt manhunt

Brandon William Holland, 31, was sentenced in the Wagga District Court in May, over the 12-hour incident in December 2022 during which he threatened to harm himself and others.

The Murray River resident appeared before Judge Gordon Lerve over charges including using an offensive weapon with intent to intimidate, not keeping a firearm safely, using an unregistered motor vehicle and intimidation with intent to cause fear of physical harm.

At the time of the offending, which took place just weeks before Christmas, Holland was living in Forest Hill with his family and serving at RAAF Base Wagga.

Police facts tendered to the court revealed he held a firearms licence at the time and had three rifles registered in his name, including a Weatherby Vanguard .243 Winchester, a Marlin XT 22 .22 calibre, and a Howa 1500 .308 calibre.

The series of events unfolded after Holland became annoyed at a birthday party at the Palm and Pawn Hotel in North Wagga on December 10, 2022.

He attended the event with his family, but arrived separately, riding an unregistered motorcycle.

Holland became annoyed after those at the party began singing while he had gone to fetch something to light the candles for the cake.

At this, he left the pub and returned home to pack, taking his three registered rifles with ammunition, as he had previously been preparing to hunt east of Albury on the way down to his brother's place in Melbourne.

Leaving his house at 1.51pm, Holland drove to the "enemy house", a location on the RAAF recruit training grounds that he knew well from his work with the Air Force.

While at that house, he cleaned his rifles for the hunting trip.

About 5.30pm that afternoon, he sent a message threatening to harm others.

About this time, a fellow RAAF member attended Holland's residence and found the firearms missing from the gun safe and alerted emergency services about the incident.

Holland made contact with his wife and brother during this time, and identified people he referred to in the threats, prompting police to attend their homes and ensure they were safe as Holland could not be located.

Police used triangulation to locate Holland's phone, confirming he was in the southern part of the RAAF Base.

A PolAir aircraft located Holland's vehicle by "enemy house" about 8pm that night, however he was not there at the time, having left to find some water from a nearby house.

Heading out on that trip, Holland accidentally locked himself out of his car, but took the rifle he was cleaning with him.

Police arrived to find the car locked but still warm and saw two firearms clearly through the windows, laying on an open gun case.

About 10pm, Holland contact his brother again to outline his predicament.

"I have f***** up. I have my gun and the police are looking for me... I don't know what to do with the gun," he said.

At one point during the search, the helicopter approached his location, and successfully hid behind an orange shipping container, continuing to move around it so he would not be detected.

Speaking with negotiators about 1.15am early the next morning, Holland asked his wife to be put on the phone or he was "going to try and cause violence".

He also threatened self harm, but lost contact when his phone went flat a short time later.

During the police search, Holland took a series of steps to avoid detection including taking off his shoes and making false tracks with them.

By the early hours of the morning, Holland had a change of heart and decided to surrender himself.

He collected his shoes and trekked back to the "enemy house" walking there with his hands in the air, but the police had already left the area.

Holland then made his way to the front gate of the RAAF Base, but was unable to find a way through the large perimeter fence, so he returned home - at about 5.17am - and "deconstructed" his rifle.

Shortly after he returned, two of his brothers pulled up at the home, and Holland told one of them he "need[ed] to hand myself in but I don't know how to do it".

A short time later the offender exited the house with his brothers and was arrested.

While at the police station, Holland told the police he deconstructed the rifle as he was taught in the military to "get rid of everything so it can't be used against you".

His brother later indicated he had found the weapon and it was surrendered to the Wagga police station later on December 11.

After his initial arrest, Holland was detained as an involuntary patient at the Wagga Base Hospital until December 15.

The Wagga Court later heard while the incident "instilled considerable fear" in Holland's family, his colleagues and law enforcement officers, "there was no risk of actual injury or death by the offender's possession of the firearm because it was not loaded".

However, while parties agreed this was the case, the court heard the fact the rifle was not loaded was "never made known to the authorities by the offender".

Judge Lerve noted while general threats of violence were made, no attempt was made to carry them out. He further noted the incident was "unplanned".

The charge of not keeping firearms safely related to the two rifles found locked in his vehicle.

Reflecting on Holland's past, Judge Lerve noted he was "a person of prior good character" with a "lack of record".

The court heard a "causal connection was also found between a mental health condition and the offending".

Speaking to the author of the sentencing assessment report (SAR), Holland disclosed he used "alcohol and illicit substances the evening before the offending" and noted he was likely still under the influence when the incidents took place.

Holland said he had been self medicating by taking methamphetamine when his mental health deteriorated, and was taking up to 1 gram of the illicit substance a day when the incident took place.

The court heard Holland was introduced to cocaine at the age of 16 while living as an exchange student in Brazil.

After leaving school, he began using cannabis and went on to take up amphetamine and methamphetamine - which he used until about six months before joining the air force.

During his time with the RAAF, Judge Lerve noted Holland continued to use illicit drugs, particularly cocaine and ecstasy, every couple of months.

The court heard an incident during training led to him being reprimanded and that after this he experienced depression and anxiety and began using methamphetamine daily.

Judge Lerve noted a letter from Holland expressed remorse for the incident an acknowledged the hurt, trauma and destruction caused - saying his actions were unacceptable from both a military and civilian perspective.

The court heard Holland's struggle with mental health dated back much further than that, to when he was an adolescent.

A psychological report found Holland suffers from PTSD, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder.

After his arrest, Holland spent seven months in custody on remand, before being released on bail and entering a rehab centre.

Looking over the evidence, Judge Lerve said he was "more than satisfied [that] the expressions of remorse are genuine".

Reflecting over Holland's military career, the judge noted he joined the RAAF in 2013, was deployed to the Middle East in 2014, promoted to Corporal in 2017 and posted to RAAF Base Wagga.

He was temporarily promoted to sergeant in 2020 before being confirmed in that role later that year.

Holland was medically discharged in November 2023, almost one year after the incident, and served his last day of active duty on the day of the incident.

Judge Lerve noted prison was not a good option for Holland under the circumstances and took into account his "age, lack of record and the very considerable steps the offender has taken of his own volition to rehabilitate himself".

He sentenced Holland to a two-year intensive correction order during which time he must remain abstinent from alcohol and all other substances unless prescribed by a medical practitioner.

He was also sentenced to a two-year community corrections order.

Judge Lerve ordered the three rifles be forfeited to the Crown and destroyed.