Shane Bayliss steals homeless man’s phone in Beenleigh

A concreter who was jailed as a teenager for his role in a violent home invasion at Bells Bridge north of Gympie has fronted court for another violent crime.

A concreter once jailed for his role in a violent home invasion near Gympie when he was a teenager has landed back in court after stealing a homeless man’s phone at knifepoint. Picture: Olena Sakhatska/iStock

A concreter who was jailed as a teenager for his role in a violent Gympie home invasion has landed back in court after stealing a homeless man’s phone at knifepoint.

Shane Bayliss, 28, faced the Beenleigh District Court over the incident which happened while he was in Beenleigh, outside Logan, in March 2024.

Published sentencing remarks by Judge Carl Heaton said Bayliss had been sleeping rough in the town square, outside the Beenleigh courthouse.

On March 4, he asked to borrow another homeless man’s phone so he could call his partner, spending two hours and 40 minutes talking to her, the document said.

Bayliss then asked the man if he could make a second call, this time by video.

A concreter once jailed for his role in a violent home invasion near Gympie when he was a teenager has landed back in court after stealing a homeless man’s phone at knifepoint. Picture: Olena Sakhatska/iStock

The man refused, telling Bayliss he could only borrow it for a normal call, at which point the 28-year-old “got angry and walked off with his phone”, Judge Heaton said at the sentencing.

When the man asked for it back Bayliss took out a knife and threatened him, saying the phone belonged to him now, the document said.

He demanded at knifepoint the man give him the PIN to unlock the phone and then left, threatening to stab the man if he saw him again in the Beenleigh town square.

Police arrested Bayliss one month later in Bundaberg, where his father lives, still in possession of the phone.

Judge Heaton said Bayliss’ criminal history included a violent home invasion while in the company of others at Bells Bridge, near Gympie, when he was a teenager.

The invasion included “considerable violence” towards the victims resulting in injuries, and the theft and torching of their car.

Bayliss served 288 days in pre-sentence custody for the invasion, and had the remainder of the jail term suspended for five years.

He was also placed on three years’ probation.

Bayliss pleaded guilty to armed robbery, and with 368 days already served in pre-sentence custody was given a three-year jail term with immediate parole.

Judge Heaton said the sentence was built to give the then-teenager “leniency” but Bayliss ended up breaching it and serving three years.

He said Bayliss had then “regularly” breached other court orders and “essentially thumbed (his) nose” at the chance he was given.

The 28-year-old’s later offences included burglary and failing to appear in accordance with his bail.

Judge Heaton said most concerning was the “persistence” with which the 28-year-old, a father of two who had worked as a concreter from 2021 to 2023, kept offending.

The document said Bayliss lost his concreting job when his relationship broke down, and had experienced “dysfunction” in his own upbringing.

Judge Heaton told Bayliss his victim was also “doing it tough” and the mobile phone was no doubt “an important possession” to him.

Bayliss pleaded guilty to armed robbery, and with 368 days already served in pre-sentence custody was given a three-year jail term with immediate parole.

Judge Heaton said the parole order would last for two years.