Inala man Joel Dennis Brown sentenced for attempted armed robbery attempt

An Inala man “preyed on a vulnerable young woman” as she walked home from a train station, eventually blocking her path and dragging her along the ground.

An Inala man has faced court for ambushing a woman walking home from a Brisbane train station and setting fire to the stolen car he later escaped in.

Joel Dennis Brown, 35, pleaded guilty today (July 15) in Ipswich District Court to one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, one count of attempted armed robbery with personal violence, and one count of arson.

The court heard that on January 31, 2021, a car was stolen from a house in Augustine Heights.

A day later, a woman was walking home from Darra Train Station in the evening when she passed Brown, who was in the parked stolen car.

Brown moved from the passenger seat into the driver seat and followed her for a short time before cutting her off by pulling the car in front of her.

He got out of the car and repeatedly demanded that she give him money, pointing what appeared to be a gun concealed up his sleeve at her.

She ran away, but Brown grabbed her by the backpack, pulled her to the ground and dragged her along the ground for 3-4m.

She screamed for help and Brown initially moved away, before grabbing her backpack and demanding money again.

The woman told him she didn’t have any money, and Brown left in the stolen car.

Witnesses came to help, having heard the woman call out, and they reported the stolen car’s licence plate to police.

Court heard that Brown drove for 8km, before setting fire to the car on the side of the street.

The car was completely engulfed by the time emergency services arrived.

The authorities collected CCTV footage of the attempted robbery and the fire, and were able to identify Brown using DNA from the victim’s backpack.

Brown was arrested on February 10, 2021 and has been in custody since.

In court, Brown said “I apologise for my actions. It doesn’t make excuses for what I’ve done, but I am trying to better myself and just – I’m sorry“.

Crown prosecutor Michelle Parfitt read out a portion of the victim’s statement, quoting “I was very scared and I felt like I was going to die. I kept thinking of the gun and was waiting for it to get fired”.

“When he ran away, I was so relieved that I was still alive, because I truly believed that he had a gun and that he was going to shoot me.”

Ms Parfitt noted that while Brown did not actually have a gun, he appeared to which created a significant level of fear.

Lawyer Jack Kennedy said Brown had experienced significant trauma as a child, which has since impacted his mental health and led him to using drugs and alcohol at an early age to cope.

Judge Amanda McDonnell said Brown’s offending was particularly serious because it occurred at night.

“You preyed on a vulnerable young woman, alone, walking down the street,” she said.

Brown received a head sentence of three years imprisonment, with immediate parole release.

His 520 days in custody were not declared time served.

Judge McDonnell also activated the suspended sentences Brown had breached in their entirety (six months and one month) which will run concurrently with his other sentences.

Convictions were recorded.