Jason Dylan Chilly in court for attempted Victory College break-in

DNA from a blue bandana has been the undoing of a man two years after he and an accomplice tried to break into the private Gympie region school in the dead of night.

Jason Dylan Chilly, 21, of Gympie, leaves the city's District Court on Friday May 12, 2023, after pleading guilty to two counts of common assault and one count of wounding.

DNA from a blue bandana has been the undoing of a 23-year-old man finally convicted two years after he and an accomplice tried to break into private Gympie region school, Victory College, in the dead of night.

Jason Dylan Chilly appeared by videolink from Maryborough Correctional Facility Tuesday afternoon to plead guilty to the years-old crime.

Police prosecutor Allison Johnston told Gympie Magistrates Court the pair, with their faces covered, were caught on CCTV shortly before midnight on May 15, 2022.

Over the course of about 30 minutes they first peeked into windows at the school before trying to “jimmy” a roller door open, the court heard.

This set an alarm went off, and they fled on foot.

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DNA from a blue bandana has been the undoing of 23-year-old Jason Dylan Chilly two years after he and an accomplice tried to break into Victory College in the dead of night.

At one point Chilly’s face mask was removed; it was later recovered by police.

The court heard he declined an interview with police in October 2022, and officers did not have enough evidence to charge him.

This changed in March 2024 when DNA testing found a match between Chilly and the bandana.

His co-accused has never been identified.

Defence lawyer Babu Singh said his client, who had a five-page criminal history which included wilful damage, stealing, and unlawful use of a motor vehicle, was “doing his utmost” to take advantage of rehabilitative courses while in jail.

Chilly was eligible for parole in July 2023, but one year on had still not been released from prison.

Mr Singh said Chilly hoped to do farm work when that finally happened.

Acting Magistrate Anna Smith accepted Chilly’s guilty plea to the attempted break-and-enter

She sentenced him to four months’ jail, suspended for 12 months.