David Boyd Cullen in court for driving stolen car on parole

The 36-year-old man will spend the next nine months in jail.

A father of three convicted of driving a stolen car while on parole will serve another nine months jail after facing Gympie Magistrates Court by video link on Monday.

David Boyd Cullen, 36, was seen in a stolen vehicle in Gympie on August 14, 2021.

The vehicle was recorded as stolen on August 13, and was spotted by an off-duty police officer parked in a car wash station in Gympie, the court heard.

His associates recognised the police officer, and so Cullen stepped into the vehicle and drove away, it heard.

On August 29, at Surfers' Paradise, Cullen was arrested on another matter. He was on parole at the time and was driving the stolen vehicle. He was charged with driving without a licence.

Gympie Magistrate Chris Callaghan on Monday sentenced Cullen to 18 months jail, after his lengthy criminal history was considered. Nine months remains on his sentence, after his arrest in August and subsequent time in custody.

He was disqualified from driving until October 10, 2025.

Cullen’s lawyer told the court Cullen had developed drug habits to cope with the pain of an arm injury following a car accident in 2017.

He later lost his house and wife and had been frequently in jail since, he said.

Cullen was a truck driver between 2002 and 2017, and then worked as a miner, the court heard.