Daniel Pershouse sentenced for Gladstone BCF, Australia Post thefts

Two men pulled off a daring $16k theft from a Central Queensland BCF store - one of them was also involved in a similar heist from Australia Post.

Daniel George Pershouse, 40, was sentenced in Gladstone Magistrates Court for stealing from a BCF store and an Australia Post outlet. Generic image.

A Central Queensland man who teamed up with another to pull off a brazen $16,000 BCF theft was also responsible for a similar style heist from Australia Post, a court has heard.

Daniel George Pershouse, 40, appeared in custody in Gladstone Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to numerous charges including seven counts of fraud, one count of enter premises and commit indictable offence, two counts of stealing, and two counts of possessing dangerous drugs.

The court heard Pershouse’s offending happened while he was on a suspended sentence.

Last October he stole a $30 memory card from Officeworks and on the same day he went to Australia Post and stole about 10 parcels from a loading area.

The value of the parcels was not known but the rightful recipient’s did not get them because Pershouse stole them, the court heard.

Then in November, he went to a BCF store with a male co-offender.

The court heard that staff there were unpacking pallets of new products at the back dock area.

The workers were called away for about four minutes and they left the back dock unattended.

When they returned, they saw numerous items missing and things strew across the floor, so they called police.

The court heard Pershouse and his co-offender escaped with a haul of $16,126 worth of gear including electronic fish finding and GPS equipment.

The fraud offences also happened in November.

A man lost his bank card at the Central Lane Hotel and Pershouse used it fraudulently multiple times to make $641 worth of purchases, the court heard.

Police also caught Pershouse with methamphetamine.

Gladstone Courthouse.

The court heard Pershouse had a 14-page criminal history which was “littered with” drug and dishonesty offences.

Solicitor Stephen White said Pershouse had grown up in Mt Isa with his mother and she was murdered when he was 11.

“His biological father subsequently moved away - left Australia - effectively leaving (Pershouse) to fend for himself on the street,” Mr White said.

Mr White said Pershouse had only completed Year 10 at school and had previously worked as a sandblaster and an arborist.

The solicitor said Pershouse was part-owner of a sawmill in the Lowmead region.

“(His) offending has largely been brought about to finance a drug habit,” Mr White said.

“He does suffer from methamphetamine and cannabis addiction, but he does intend to seek counselling upon release, once this is behind him.

“He is certainly remorseful for the continual offending.”

During sentencing, Magistrate Mary Buchanan said terms of imprisonment were the only appropriate penalties for Pershouse, adding that nothing seemed to deter him from continuing to commit dishonesty offences.

Ms Buchanan activated the suspended sentence in full and sentenced Pershouse to 19 months’ jail.

She declared 18 days’ pre-sentence custody as time already served and fixed parole release at April 23, 2025.

Pershouse was ordered to pay $8704 restitution.

Convictions were recorded.