Thug tries to carjack grieving widow from Bundaberg cemetery

A recently widowed Qld woman, visiting the grave of her husband, had her car keys “ripped” from her and was pushed to the ground. It wasn’t her drugged up attacker’s only frightening crime.

While mourning over her partner’s grave, a recently widowed woman was set-upon by a man on a drug fueled crime spree. Photo: Max Fleet / NewsMail

While she visited her partner’s grave at a Bundaberg cemetery, a grieving widow was terrorised by a fisherman who initially asked her for help.

Details of Jake Ryan Hamson’s drug fuelled crime spree, which began in the early morning of Monday, July 22, 2024, were recently read out in Bundaberg District Court.

Terrifying CCTV footage captured the moment when Hamson, who worked locally on a prawn trawler, went into a backpacker hostel through the laundry window about 3am and walked through the property on the hunt for items to steal.

Judge Jennifer Rosengren said Hamson entered a room full of sleeping guests and stole a pair of headphones.

After attempting to gain entry into a second room, which was locked, Hamson turned his sights onto the reception area.

He stole a laptop containing the hotel’s booking system, a set of keys and sunglasses before he left out the laundry window.

Later that same day, around 3pm, Hamson approached a woman who was recently widowed, as she sat at her partner’s grave.

The court heard Hamson introduced himself and spoke with her for a short time, before he asked for a lift into Bundaberg Central shopping centre, to which she agreed.

Hamson put his bags in her car and got into the passenger side of the car but moved to the driver's side and drove off.

He stopped five metres down the road at which point the woman managed to take the keys from the ignition and tried to pull Hamson out of her car.

Ms Rosengren told the court Hamson yelled he needed to get out of town and used both hands to push the woman to the ground.

“You stood over her and ripped the car keys from her hand,” Ms Rosengren said.

A man has appeared before Bundaberg District Court after a drug-fuelled crime spree in July last year. Photo: Mike Knott / NewsMail

He ran away from the scene and the woman was helped by a witness.

Hours after the attempted carjacking, Hamson turned himself into police and admitted to the crimes, which Ms Rosengren said avoided any witnesses needing to give their testimony before the court.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said, “I hope one day you will be in my situation, and you will know how I felt”.

“I do forgive you, but I do not forget,” it read.

Defence barrister Phillip Hardcastle said Hamson struggled with substance abuse and was on drugs at the time.

A psychology report presented to the court outlined a number of diagnoses which Ms Rosengren considered in her sentence.

Hamson pleaded guilty to three separate offences, including entering premises and stealing; unlawful use of a motor vehicle; and robbery with personal violence.

He was sentenced to two years’ jail with immediate parole owing to 214 days already spent in pre-sentence custody.