Glenn Edward Cruickshank jailed for home invasion, assault

Glenn Edward Cruickshank broke into a home in the dead of night and assailed a man in his bed. Now, threatened with a life prison sentence, he is paying for his crime:

A Dunmora man who violently assaulted a Bells Bridge man while he lay in bed, has been sentenced to jail over the home invasion and attack.

Glenn Edward Cruickshank, 46, was supported by his family in Gympie District Court on Friday as his sentence was handed down.

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.

Glenn Edward Cruickshank left Gympie District Court in handcuffs on Monday.

The court previously heard Cruickshank broke into the 77-year-old Bells Bridge man’s home after he was sent an insulting text meant for someone else.

It came days after Cruickshank approached the man, who was a mutual friend of he and his ex-fiance, at a bar at a Maryborough rodeo in November 2021, only to be told to leave him alone.

Cruickshank later confronted him via text about their earlier interaction, only to receive an offensive reply calling him a “C---head”, which was apparently meant for someone else.

Crown Prosecutor Annica Fritz said this enraged Cruickshank, who texted back “see you in 15 (minutes). I’m in Gympie … I thought we were mates. Dog C---”.

An hour later, the man was lying awake in his bed when Cruickshank broke in through a sliding screen door and attacked him.

Cruickshank smelled of alcohol.

Ms Fritz told he court 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.

“Immediately after he was told this, the defendant punched the complainant to the chest,” Ms Fritz said.

Cruickshank then dragged him out of bed and onto the floor, where he continued to punch him in the face and head.

The Gympie Times understands Glenn Edward Cruickshank (pictured) is employed as a popular rodeo clown in Maryborough. Photo: Facebook

“He was telling the complainant he was going to break his jaw,” she said.

Cruickshank then attempted to strangle him, twice.

Ms Fritz said the victim later told police the second time Cruickshank tried to choke him, he squeezed so hard he started to feel dizzy.

“(The victim) said to police ‘the lights were going out’ and he ‘thought he wasn’t coming back’,” she said.

The violence then stopped, as Cruickshank leaned in and told the man not to call police.

He then shook the man’s hand and said “we’re still mates, right?” before fleeing the property.

The man suffered numerous bruises to his face, neck and chest, but did not make a complaint to police until six days later.

Gympie District Court heard shocking details about a violent home invasion, including the moment a Bells Bridge man was choked until he nearly lost consciousness.

Cruickshank was arrested on December 5, 2021, and has been remanded in custody since.

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.

The Gympie Times understands Cruickshank is employed as a rodeo clown.