James Denning pleads guilty to burglary, armed robbery in Gympie court

A Qld concreter has faced court over a string of offences, including a shocking armed robbery during which he tried to ‘emotionally reassure’ his victim despite threatening her with a knife.

James Denning, 27, pleaded guilty to a string of 21 charges over the offending which spanned from the Gympie to Bundaberg regions in August and September, 2024.

A Bundaberg concreter will remain behind bars until mid 2025 after a crime spree where he tried to “emotionally reassure” a woman while robbing her phone and car at knifepoint.

James Denning, 27, pleaded guilty to a string of 21 charges over the offending which spanned across the Gympie, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg regions in August and September, 2023.

Gympie District Court heard Denning had first been found by police collapsed beside a Brisbane road while affected by drugs.

Attending officers found him in possession of items stolen in a recent burglary in the area, 41g of marijuana, four shotgun cartridges and three folding knives.

In September Denning then stole several items including food, tobacco, and sports shoes from Gympie shops, before swiping a Mitsubishi from a shopping centre car park in the city.

James Denning, 27, pleaded guilty to a string of 21 charges over the offending which spanned from the Gympie to Bundaberg regions in August and September, 2024.

The court heard the 27-year-old and his unidentified female co-offender drove around in the stolen car until September 18, 2023.

Denning and his co-offender abandoned the car at Redbridge, broke into a nearby isolated rural home and threatened the woman living there with a knife in an attempt to steal her car.

The court heard the woman initially tried to convince Denning she did not know where the keys were, at which point he offered her $50 before finding them in the kitchen.

Denning and his co-offender left in the stolen vehicle, and later the 27-year-old stole $900 worth of perfume from a Gympie pharmacy.

Police finally arrested him on September 24.

Officers during the arrest found Denning in possession of the drugs Diazepam and methylamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia, used syringes, shotgun cartridges, and an improvised pistol.

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Denning’s pleaded guilty to the charges, which included burglary by break-and-enter while armed and in company, armed robbery, five counts of stealing, two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, four counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of possessing ammunition, receiving tainted property, possessing a knife, attempted fraud, possessing a drug pipe, failing to dispose of a syringe, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The court heard Denning’s criminal history included drug offending in 2016, and two counts of armed robbery in 2017 and 2019.

He was jailed for four years for the latter offence.

Denning’s defence lawyer told the court his latest robbery was unlike those already on his record, as those were “planned”, “premeditated”, and “horribly violent”.

He had taken steps to rehabilitate from his drug abuse, too.

Judge Glen Cash accepted Denning’s pleas to the charges, which included burglary by break-and-enter while armed and in company, armed robbery, five counts of stealing, two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, four counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of possessing ammunition, receiving tainted property, possessing a knife, attempted fraud, possessing a drug pipe, failing to dispose of a syringe, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

He sentenced the 27-year-old to five years’ jail.

Denning will be eligible for parole from May 24, 2025.