Defendant offers threatening gesture to judge, erupts with foul-language outburst during trial for a violent beach brawl involving police officers.
A 25-year-old man, Andrew Kevin Gollan, made headlines for his unruly courtroom behavior during sentencing submissions at Adelaide's District Court. Facing multiple charges stemming from a violent incident at Christies Beach in January 2024, Gollan granted no quarter to Judge Heath Barklay.
During the hearing, Gollan, represented by attorney Sean Nottle, made a derogatory remark, "Bullst, fking dog," before launching into a series of expletives and taunts towards the court[5]. As the proceedings unfolded, Gollan formed a gun gesture aimed at the judge, swore profusely, and even threw a small object around the room[5].
The court proceedings were disrupted as Gollan would not conform to the court's orders to remain quiet[5]. Judge Barklay was forced to silence Gollan's audio, but he continued his unruliness, striking the camera while on video link[5].
Prior to the hearing, Gollan wrote a letter of apology expressing remorse for his actions[4]. According to Mr. Nottle, Gollan wanted to turn over a new leaf and become "the best man he can"[4].
Gollan's attorney highlighted Gollan's background, which included a diagnosis of bipolar personality disorder, PTSD, and polysubstance use disorder prior to the incident[4]. Gollan had also been held intermittently in solitary confinement for ten months since his arrest[4]. The court also discussed Gollan's history of trauma, abuse, and dysfunction[4].
The distressing encounter at Christies Beach between Gollan and several officers was captured on bodycam footage, showing Gollan resisting officers with physical force, requiring multiple taser and pepper spray deployments before being subdued[1][2]. The incident followed an earlier alleged attack on motorist Mark Smedley, where Gollan claimed Smedley had run over his foot, fracturing Smedley's skull with a scooter[1].
Gollan pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a worker, one count of resisting a police officer, and causing aggravated harm with intent during the incident[6]. As of April 2025, Gollan remains in custody, awaiting sentencing, scheduled for late May 2025[1][4].
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-19/court-hears-from-man-who-threw-scooter-at-police-officer/13340734[2] https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-au/watch-alleged-vandal-throws-scooter-at-police-officer-amid-beach-arrest/news-story/7b0795f7bdf4f4a645ffec70cfe524aa[3] https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/south-australia/man-threw-scooter-at-police-officer-during-arrest-charged-with-assault/news-story/f6394538c0c1e643ba0b02fa90d4d8cb[4] https://www.advertiser.com.au/story/6903136/vandal-thrown-scooter-at-cop-during-arrest-begs-court-to-give-him-chance/[5]https://7news.com.au/news/south-australia/attacker-makes-gun-gesture-to-judge-during-sentencing-hearing-c-5334014[6]https://www.sbs.com.au/news/vandal-threw-scooter-at-police-officer-during-arrest-but-he-has-a-chance-to-change-court-told
- Despite his unruly behavior during the court hearing at Adelaide's District Court, Kyle Gollan had previously apologized for his actions in a letter.
- The news of Kyle Gollan's apology came after he made headlines for his disruptive courtroom behavior, including aiming a gun gesture at Judge Heath Barklay.
- The incident at Christies Beach, which was captured on body-worn camera footage, showed Kyle Gollan resisting officers, resulting in multiple charges, including assaulting a worker and resisting a police officer.
- The court proceedings discussed Kyle Gollan's background, which included a history of mental health issues, trauma, abuse, and dysfunction, as well as his temporary solitary confinement since his arrest.
