Travis Terrence Carsburg in court for arson, enter house at night

After fleeing the horrors of Afghanistan, a seven-year-old girl was the first to become aware a knife-wielding man had broken into her family’s new home in Queensland. What followed left her with PTSD.

A refugee family who had recently fled Afghanistan to begin a new life in Australia were terrorised on the Fraser Coast when a man with a knife broke into their home, stole their car and then torched it.

Travis Terrence Carsburg, 32, pleaded guilty to entering a dwelling with intent at night, attempted fraud, arson, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and driving while disqualified when he faced the Hervey Bay District Court in early August, 2022.

The court heard Carsburg had been on parole for two months after serving time in prison for similar offending when he broke into the Urraween home of a family of refugees about 4.30am on April 13, 2021.

The seven-year-old daughter saw Carsburg, and alerted her parents to his presence in the home, the court heard.

He was armed with a knife and demanded the couple hand over their phones.

The court heard the woman was pregnant and both she and her husband were doctors working to become qualified to practice in Australia.

Travis Terrence Carsburg pleaded guilty to entering dwelling at night and arson.

Carsburg stole property, including a laptop, bank cards, their car keys and car, the court heard.

He drove about three kilometres away and set the car on fire. When he tried to use one of their bank cards it was declined.

Just prior to the incident at the family’s home, Carsburg had stolen CCTV cameras from a neighbouring property, the court was told.

When police caught up with him, he initially denied being involved.

In July, 2019, Carsburg was sentenced for similar offending by the Gympie District Court.

At that time, he pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery, two counts of entering a premises and committing an indictable offence, three counts of unlawfully using a motor vehicle and causing damage and one count of stealing, on top of 17 summary offences, some of which were committed over the nine days.

The court heard Carsburg had used a small calibre rifle during that offending.

During the sentencing in 2019, Judge Suzanne Sheridan noted his offending, committed in a drug-affected state, “must have terrified” his victims, but also accepted he was remorseful.

He was sentenced to seven years‘ jail and became eligible for parole on November 21, 2020, having served 361 days in pre-sentence custody.

This time, Judge Vicki Loury had to consider the seven year sentence already hanging over Carsburg’s head, in addition to punishing him for the fresh offences.

Ms Loury said Carsburg had a “very significant” criminal history.

He had spent a year and four months in presentence custody after the 2021 break-in at the Urraween home.

The court heard Carsburg had a troubled background, with his parents separating when he was a toddler.

It was told he had become a regular drug user, but had been clean of drugs while in custody.

He was taking medication for depression and anxiety.

Carsburg had a work history, but a promising job as a firefighter had been lost because he was on parole and was not permitted to leave the state, the court heard.

Travis Terrence Carsburg.

The night of the break-in had left the family traumatised, a victim impact statement submitted to the court said, with the family moving house because they remained so fearful.

The seven year old child who had witnessed Carsburg inside the house had suffered symptoms of post traumatic stress, the court heard, and her mother, who had been working towards practising medicine, had needed to stop in order to help her children overcome the trauma of the incident, which had “shattered their sense of security”.

“This community lost her skills and her position as a doctor,” Ms Loury said.

“You have let drugs rule your life.

“Unless you do something about your drug use, when you are released from custody, then you are going to find yourself very quickly back in jail.

“You are still a relatively young man and you are wasting your life by choosing drugs.”

But she said there was some hope he could be rehabilitated because Carsburg had demonstrated in the past he could be a productive member of the community.

Carsburg was given a head sentence of three and a half years in prison, to be served cumulatively on the seven year sentence he had previously been given.

He would be eligible for parole on February 1, 2023.

He was disqualified from driving for two years.