A panicked passer-by had called triple zero after hearing the man shouting death threats and a toddler crying inside the house in the suburb of Edgewater.
But when police arrived on the scene with lights and sirens, they found the only ‘victim’ was an unfortunate huntsman.
Rhys Howard told the ABC he had a fear of spiders and his partner usually killed them.
“My partner was in the shower so I grabbed the first thing I saw, which was a nappy because we’re toilet training our daughter, and I went down on my knees and I whacked it a few times.”
“I was screaming, ‘Why don’t you die?’ at the top of my lungs and repeatedly … because I’m terrified of them.”
Mr Howard apologised to police for the inconvenience, who released a statement saying that no further police involvement was required.
It’s not the first time a bloke’s been caught out by an errant arachnid, however. In 2015, police called to a “violent domestic” in Sydney found the screams and furniture throwing reported were actually from a man attempting to vanquish his foe with a can of Mortein.
Just as long as no one has the same idea that this man did.
