A Towradgi man has escaped scot-free after he tried to enact a centuries-old tradition that has ended the life of famous men - including America's founding father Alexander Hamilton.
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On this occasion, there was no agreement to meet at dawn, walk 10 paces and draw guns but rather the duel - a once common practice considered the pinnacle of honour and bravery that would see one man calmly kill another over an accusation - had a modern twist.
The weapon of choice was not a pistol, nor a sword, but rather - fishing rods.
Garth Murray, who has racked up over 100 charges, pleaded guilty to challenging a police officer to a duel during a verbal exchange between the pair on the morning of November 25 last year.
Documents tendered to court said officers stopped Murray who was riding a bike without a helmet on Crown Street, Wollongong shortly before 12pm.
Murray was also with a woman, known to police. He began to ride away faster after seeing the officers.
Police had previously received reports Murray was selling cannabis and methamphetamine on behalf of the woman.
The officers stopped the pair close to Kembla Street before they were searched but nothing was found.
Murray became abusive towards a Wollongong leading senior constable before he said: "If you wanna have a duel, come down the beach after work and we'll have a fishing rod each.
"I'll flog the crap out of you. We'll call it a duel ok. Come down. Take one for the team."
The pair were then allowed to leave.
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On December 18, police went to Murray's home to ask him about the duel challenge the previous month.
"I challenged you to a duel and you wimped out. We'll have a crack down the beach. A bit of bamboo each and may the best man win. It's called a duel," Murray said to the officers.
Police left but later issued Murray with a future notice to attend court for the charge of challenge.
If there was a disagreement on a ship or between two people a challenge to a duel was made to settle the score.
The people who participated in these duels, which often involved two people firing pistols at each other, could be liable for murder, although convictions for such charges were rare and the use of the death penalty even rarer.
A number of common law offences were abolished, however the offence of challenge was not one of them.
Murray was in Wollongong Local Court recently for unrelated drug charges when Magistrate Robert Walker dismissed the challenge offence.
Magistrate Walker had to ask the prosecutor to explain the challenge charge as he was not familiar with it under statue law and was told it was a common law offence.
Magistrate Walker remarked he thought for a person to be charged with challenge one had to "slap someone in the face with a male glove" before Murray pleaded guilty.
When reading the documents Magistrate Walker said, "that's not a duel", "in my day we used to use proper weapons like rapiers".
Murray told the court he had ongoing issues with the officer, going on to acknowledge he had a "massive criminal history" and was diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis more than 20 years ago.
Murray also said he was not homeless but rather deliberately stayed at North Wollongong Beach because he was waiting for "divine intervention".
Murray has also regularly been sighted near the North Beach Wollongong pavilion with a stick of bamboo or a fishing rod, where he imitates martial arts moves, court documents said.
He was convicted without further penalty.