Residents described a knife pointed from a metre away and a frightening encounter outside a family home during the Ballina knife incident in June.
A Ballina man who terrified residents during June’s Ballina knife incident has been released after four months in custody to serve his sentence in the community.
Wesley Roberts, 36, appeared by video link before Judge K Crittenden in Ballina Local Court on Thursday, having been refused bail following his arrest.
He was convicted of being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence and carrying a knife visibly in a public place causing fear for safety.
Judge Crittenden imposed a 12-month aggregate prison sentence to be served under an intensive correction order, with 100 hours of community service and an alcohol ban.
Roberts must comply with Community Corrections directions concerning alcohol rehabilitation, including residential treatment if directed.
He will be supervised by Lismore Community Corrections, must commit no further offence and must report within seven days of his release.
Ballina knife incident: ‘He was about one metre away’
The incident unfolded in broad daylight about 4.30pm on Monday, June 8, leaving residents frightened near their own front yards and inside their homes.
One Burnet Street resident, who asked not to be named, said they went outside after hearing Roberts yelling at a neighbour’s dogs.
“I was making sure everything was okay,” the resident said.
“He was about one metre away from me when he pointed the knife at me and said he was going to f*ing stab me.”
The resident said they contacted police after the encounter near their front yard.
They said Roberts then moved further along the footpath towards the Pod Village end of the street, saying he was going to kill someone.
Further along Burnet Street, resident Simon said Roberts approached his home.
“He ended up outside our house looked through our front sliding doors and made a lunging motion with the knife towards my wife while she was standing in the kitchen,” Simon said in an account provided on the day.
“She ran to get me and by the time I got outside to see where he was and to call police they were already there dealing with him.”
Simon said Roberts threw the knife into his garden bed before being arrested.
“Police recovered it and confiscated it. I’d estimate it was around 20cm long.”
No action on earlier order breaches
The court also ordered no action be taken over breaches of three community correction orders imposed across two earlier cases.
In August 2025, Roberts was convicted of larceny involving property valued at $2,000 or less and given a 12-month community correction order.
In March 2026, he received an order of the same duration for contravening a domestic apprehended violence order and another for destroying or damaging property.
The March orders included community service, supervision and compliance with directions concerning domestic violence education and alcohol rehabilitation.
All three included a condition that Roberts commit no further offence, and their original terms covered the date of the knife incident.
Speaking on the day of the June incident, Simon said residents had been fortunate.
“What struck me afterwards was how lucky everyone was,” he said.
“There are always kids outside in our street people walking their dogs and families out and about. This could have ended very differently.”
Roberts intensive correction order runs from October 8, 2026, until October 7, 2027.