Bizarre Gympie region crimes through the courts | Full list
A dog-burglar, the world’s worst home invader, an ‘extremely hungry’ thief: Here are the weirdest, most unusual crimes that raised eyebrows in the Gympie courts in the past year.
Police & Courts
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Gympie courtrooms are rife with bizarre stories of how accused criminals wound up before the magistrate or judge, but some over the past year have raised more eyebrows than others.
The following cases left a lasting impression in the community as some of the most bizarre and wacky crimes to have occurred in the Gympie region.
From a devoted dog owner who broke his death-row pup out of the RSPCA, to a woman who openly told police she wanted to have a bong before they escorted her out of her home, these are some of the most unusual and quirky crimes that left those presiding over the Gympie courts shaking their heads:
Convictions recorded
Engaged tradie used Gumtree ad to send woman unsolicited nude photo
Gympie Magistrate Chris Callaghan described a tradie sending an unsolicited nude photo to an innocent young woman through an ad on Gumtree as “appalling”.
Bud Frederick Condon, 35, was supported by his fiance in the public gallery as Gympie Magistrates Court heard details on how he used the sales website to harass the woman.
He pleaded guilty to seven charges: four driving offences, stealing from Gympie Nextra, failing to dispose of a needle and using a carrier service to harass.
The court heard the woman had posted an ad to the website selling a pot plant on behalf of her grandmother.
The woman received three missed calls and a series of texts from Condon, despite several attempts at telling him to leave her alone, including pretending to be a man.
The horror culminated in Condon sending an unsolicited picture of his genitalia, the court heard.
This was not the first time he had done this. Condon was convicted of similar offences in 2016 and 2017, including sending an explicit message to an internet stranger crudely referencing oral sex.
Defence lawyer Neesha Maidwell said her client had been drinking and went searching for phone numbers on the internet.
Condon was sentenced to nine months behind bars but only served three months before being released on parole on December 29, 2021.
Mr Callaghan ordered Condon enter a good behaviour bond of $1000 for the remainder of his sentence.
His fiance sobbed in the public gallery as he was escorted out of the courtroom.
A conviction was recorded.
Mission Impawsible: Devoted owner breaks death-row dog out of RSPCA
A devoted dog owner was convicted of breaking his american staffy out of the Gympie RSPCA in March 2021.
Amamoor man Jamie Luke Alford, 35, pleaded not guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to the bizarre crime, claiming “crackheads” were responsible for the night-time break-in.
His trial heard Alford’s dog, an american staffy called Chewie, was seized by Gympie Regional Council and was to be destroyed at the Gympie RSPCA.
Gympie Regional Council Community Sustainability director Adrian Burns later told The Gympie Times the dog was seized after it was deemed dangerous due to interactions with other animals.
However, after Chewie was taken to the RSPCA, Alford contacted council rangers asking if he could have his dog back. They said no.
Later, CCTV footage from the RSPCA captured someone dressed in a camouflage ghillie suit (a whole body covering typically used for hunting, usually covered in artificial leaves to disguise the hunter) climbing the fence to get inside the building.
The intruder then climbed onto the roof of a cage, cut a hole in the wire and lifted Chewie out and threw him onto the ground.
He was then seen following the intruder obediently without a lead, showing familiarity.
Earlier bodycam footage from a police search at Alford’s home showed the dog only obeyed him.
During the same search, police found a ghillie suit matching the one shown in CCTV. Alford’s car also matched one the intruder parked out the front of the RSPCA during the break-in.
Magistrate Chris Callaghan sentenced Alford to nine months behind bars with immediate parole.
The fate of the dog was not shared in court.
Rodeo clown attacks mutual friend over accidental ‘c---head’ text
A Gympie judge was left in shock after a Dundowa rodeo clown broke into a Bells Bridge man’s home and violently attacked him, all because of a text he wasn’t meant to see.
Glenn Edward Cruickshank, 46, pleaded guilty in Gympie District Court in July 2022, to a lone charge of break and enter to commit assault occasioning bodily harm.
The court heard Cruickshank had run into a mutual friend of his and his ex-partner’s at a Maryborough rodeo, but after a brief interaction was told to leave the mutual friend alone.
Later that night, Cruickshank texted the man asking him what his issue was, only to get an offensive reply calling him a “c---head”; a text apparently meant for someone else.
Drunk and enraged, Cruickshank replied calling the man a “dog c---” and threatening to show up at his house in Bells Bridge.
Later that night, the man was awake in his bed when Cruickshank broke in through the sliding door and began physically attacking the man from his bed.
The court heard Cruickshank punched him multiple times to the head while the man pleaded with him to stop; even telling him he had been to hospital that day for heart murmurs.
As he said this, Cruickshank began punching the man to the chest.
He then dragged him onto the floor and continued the attack, and attempted to strangle him twice.
When the violence finally ended, Cruickshank leaned in and told the man not to call police, shook his hand and said “we’re still mates, right?” before fleeing the property.
Defence lawyer Chris Anderson said his client had been assaulted eight times while in custody, but had rekindled a love of drawing and poetry while behind bars.
Judge Jarro told Cruickshank he “should be thoroughly ashamed” of his actions towards the victim, and said he was fortunate the victim was not more severely injured in the attack.
He said the attack was a “serious offence”, the maximum penalty of which was life in prison.
However, Cruickshank was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars, but will only serve six weeks after spending 229 days in presentence custody.
He will be released on parole on September 5, 2022.
‘Extremely hungry’ thief puts frozen pizzas down pants
A Chatsworth man, who was homeless at the time, attempted to steal two frozen pizzas by shoving them down the front of his pants.
Steven Clunes, 22, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on June 30, 2022, to unauthorised dealing with shop goods, after the brazen theft in Gympie’s Drakes supermarket.
Defence lawyer Laura Nightingale told the court Clunes was homeless at the time and had no money to pay for the pizzas.
Clunes worked as a farmhand and had been largely homeless for the past five years, mostly residing at his brother’s house and on the streets. He now had stable accommodation, the court heard.
He was fined $400.
A conviction was recorded.
Drunk fish and chip employee fended off with walking stick in failed home invasion
An elderly Tin Can Bay woman came face-to-face with the world’s worst home invader, after she woke up in the middle of the night to find a drunk Rockhampton mother on her doorstep.
Nadine Stevie Wilkinson, 26, pleaded guilty in Gympie District Court on Monday June 13, 2022, to wilful damage and serious assault.
The court heard Wilkinson, who worked at a fish and chip shop at the time, drunkenly woke up a 77-year-old Tin Can Bay woman when she began banging on her courtyard door.
The women did not know each other prior to this.
The court heard Wilkinson got in the elderly woman’s face and told her she had stolen (Wilkinson’s) phone.
The woman then angled her walking stick to keep Wilkinson away, though Wilkinson pushed her and tried to get into her home, damaging the fly screen.
The woman attempted to de-escalate the situation and offered to walk Wilkinson home, but she refused.
She then pushed past the woman and sat on the floor inside the home, where she fell asleep.
The woman then called police, who found Wilkinson out cold and arrested her.
Defence barrister Amelia Loode said her client had “over-indulged” with alcohol on the night of the offences.
She said the 12-month anniversary of Wilkinson’s then-partner’s suicide was approaching at the time, which had sent Wilkinson into a spiral.
However, her client was now drug and alcohol free.
Judge Ian Dearden said Wilkinson was “obviously off her face” that night.
Wilkinson was sentenced to nine months behind bars but was immediately released on parole.
A conviction was recorded.
‘Can I have a bong first?’
A 23-year-old Gympie beauty student told police she wanted to have a bong before they escorted her to hospital.
Shyanne Maree Whatley pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday, January 10, 2022, to one charge of possessing marijuana.
The court heard police were called to Whatley’s home after she was allegedly assaulted, and were preparing to escort her to hospital when she asked the bizarre question.
Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said she told police she “wanted to have a bong” before leaving.
“She stated the drugs were in her bedroom and police observed a small amount of cannabis weighing less than one gram,” Sgt Campbell said.
Whatley appeared under the influence of drugs at the time.
Defence lawyer Mark Oliver told the court his client was “traumatised” by what had happened in the lead-up to police arriving at her house.
Whatley was fined $150 and a conviction was recorded.
Convictions not recorded
Drunk mates busted zooming on borrowed mobility scooter
Two young Gympie region men were caught in a bizarre drink driving court matter, after they took a mobility scooter for a joyride on a main road.
Scotchy Pocket man Connor Humphreys, 19, and Tin Can Bay man Joshua Graham Coleman, 21, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on July 21 and July 7, respectively, after they were spotted sharing the seat of a silver mobility scooter on Gympie Rd, Tin Can Bay.
Coleman was controlling the speed while Humphreys was steering the scooter, which was borrowed from one of Coleman’s friends’ grandmothers, the court heard.
The two men were breath tested, where Humphrey’s blew 0.084 and Coleman blew 0.153 – more than three times the legal limit.
Coleman told police he had been drinking a lot of spirits that night, the court heard.
Defence lawyer Greg Wildie said his client, Coleman, admitted the act was “stupid”, and was otherwise described as having good character.
Coleman pleaded guilty to driving a mobility scooter under the influence and was supported by his parents in the public gallery. He was disqualified from driving for six months.
Humphreys was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for two months. A conviction was recorded.
A conviction was not recorded for Coleman.
‘Is that a death threat? F--k yeah it is’: Former festival boss’ haunting public display
A former Gympie Muster boss left a magistrate in shock after a court heard details of a chilling public death threat towards a security guard.
Wayne Donald Dean, 52, former chairman of the Gympie Music Muster, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to making a death threat against security guard Brian Robert Thompson.
Dean alleged Mr Thompson had assaulted his son at a nightclub, which was the catalyst behind the public display.
The court heard a car had been parked on the grass near Anzac Memorial Park with a coffin lid and shovel strapped to the back of it.
The lid, which had the words “Triple H RIH” inscribed on it, was facing the Mary Valley Hwy.
This was photographed by an associate of Mr Thompson, who was approached by Dean after taking the photo and asked if he knew who “Triple H” was.
In turn, the associate asked Dean if the coffin was a death threat, the court heard.
“F--k yeah, it is,” Dean replied.
Mr Thompson told police he heard some threats were going around, and he was fearful that those threats would be acted upon.
Dean’s lawyer told the court his client was “frustrated and angry” at Mr Thompson for allegedly assaulting his 19-year-old son.
The security guard was working at a nightclub when he allegedly caused severe dental damage to Dean’s son.
Mr Thompson will face Gympie District Court at a later date, the court heard.
Dean was fined $600 and convictions were not recorded.
Escaped crim treats self to sausage roll and drink amid police search
A young Gympie NDIS worker, who escaped police custody, treated himself to a sausage roll and a drink before walking home.
Keigan Michael Alexander-Dunn entered the dock in Gympie Magistrates Court on September 23, 2021, under police guard and pleaded guilty to three charges including escaping police custody and failing to appear.
The court heard Alexander-Dunn had missed his court date and had a warrant issued for his arrest.
However, when he was arrested and placed into the back of a police car, Alexander-Dunn wound down the window and opened the car door when police had their back turned and escaped.
Defence lawyer Laura Nightingale said her client “did not know what he was thinking”.
“He says that he ended up going to the shop, bought a drink and a sausage roll and then he went home,” she said.
He was arrested at his home the next day and taken to the watch house.
He was fined $2000. A conviction was not recorded.
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