Wynnum’s Darren Wayne Thompson fronts Ipswich Court after environmentalist prison awakening

A Queensland prisoner has told a court how he turned over a new leaf in custody — working on an environmentalism podcast to save koalas. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

A Queensland prisoner has told a court how he turned over a new leaf in custody — working on an environmentalism podcast to save koalas.

A Borallon inmate says environmentalist work in custody had turned his life around, as he faced court for earlier dishonesty offences.

Wynnum resident Darren Wayne Thompson, 46, pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on October 10, 2023, to fraud, evasion, and attempting to enter a premises in order to commit an indictable offence.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Jo Colston said Thompson’s offending included dishonestly making off from a Woodridge service station without paying for fuel on January 4, 2022.

He had also failed to stop when instructed to do so by police on the same day.

Then on January 5, Thompson attempted to enter the premises of Woolworths in Collingwood Park around 4am.

Sergeant Colston said Thompson and an alleged accomplice had attempted to pry open the staff security door with a jemmy bar and hammer – but were unsuccessful.

The court heard he had been sentenced to four years imprisonment in July this year for enter premises offending, and had now been in custody on remand for a total of 641 days.

Thompson’s defence lawyer Nicole Conlan said the extra three months her client had spent waiting to be sentenced for these offences had been a “direct punishment” for them.

But the court heard Thompson‘s circumstances had improved significantly in custody, having completed a horticulture program and becoming involved in a “prison podcast”.

Thompson explained that the podcast, “The Prisoner and the Plunkett”, was completed in partnership with company Natura Pacific.

He said the podcast explored the inmates’ environmental work growing eucalyptus for koala rehabilitation and the protection of endangered species.

LISTEN: Unnamed inmate speaks on Prisoner and the Plunkett podcast

Thompson said he hoped to continue working with Natura upon his release.

Ms Conlan said her client had struggled in the past with drug addiction and PTSD from his childhood but had been on the Subutex program in custody.

Thompson said the drug program had been “one of the best things that ever happened to [him],” and that he was now drug free for the longest time in the whole of his adult life.

Magistrate Melanie Ho commended Thompson for his environmental efforts and encouraged him to continue working on his drug rehabilitation.

Thompson was convicted and not further punished for the fraud and attempted enter premises, and convictions were recorded.

He was sentenced to 50 days imprisonment for the evasion offence, with 50 days of presentence custody declared time-served.

Thompson was made immediately eligible for parole, and he was also disqualified from driving for two years.