Levi James Brown: Recidivist jailed for armed robbery, crime spree

Just days after being released on parole, a former prison escapee cut off his ankle tracker and then embarked on a three-day crime spree that involved holding up a bottle shop with a machete and throwing a hammer at another driver.

Just days after cutting off his parole-issued ankle tracker, a recidivist offender embarked on a three-day crime spree across the Mackay region.

He stole a Toyota HiLux, broke into a Mackay rifle club, threw a hammer at another driver, rammed a police car, broke into the Hay Point Hotel and robbed a Shamrock Hotel Bottle Shop with a machete.

This all happened within days of Levi James Brown, then 27, being released from prison on parole in August 2020.

Brown, now 29, has been serving a nine-year jail sentence since 2014 because every time he is released, he commits more offences.

This week in Mackay District Court he faced a trial after pleading not guilty to four offences alleged during that month.

A Mackay pub worker described to a jury the moment an armed robber hidden beneath a mask, large hoodie and gloves demanded cash while wielding a large machete.

Jurors saw CCTV footage of the brazen incident about 8.50pm on August 26, 2020 showing the offender exit a white ute and walk towards Leanne Reeves holding the weapon.

Ms Reeves told the court the offender said “open the f--king till and give me the f--ing money” before jumping the counter and moving towards her.

The Shamrock Hotel on Nebo Road, Mackay

The court heard the offender had thrown a cream-coloured calico bag into which she placed $720 in cash from the register.

Jurors took several hours over two days to return verdicts.

They found him not guilty of an attempted break-in at the Coalport Cash Store nor a break-in at the 5 Star Handimarket at Eton but convicted him of the Shamrock armed robbery and a break-in and theft of alcohol at Hay Point Hotel.

The court heard Brown was also found sleeping in a white ute in Moranbah five hours after the armed robbery and, when police searched the vehicle, officers found dark clothing, a mask and a machete.

Police also found 13 MDMA pills in his possession.

Brown was released from prison on parole on August 12, 2020, he cut off his tracking device on August 20 and went on a three-day crime spree from August 25-27.

Crown prosecutor Sam Rigby told the court Brown had an “appalling criminal history” spanning 14 pages.

He said the consistent theme was property offences including 28 break and enter or burglary offences, more than 30 unlawful entry or unlawful use of a motor vehicle offences, several dishonesty offences, a previous 2015 robbery offence and five dangerous driving offences.

“He is a recidivist offender,” he said.

Mr Rigby said Brown’s last criminal history entries were in Rockhampton District Court on December 9, 2019 for dangerous driving, burglary offences and three counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

He said Brown was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail on top of a previous nine-year prison sentence.

Police arrested alleged associates of escapee Levi James Brown after a dramatic hit and run of a police officer in North Mackay in 2018.

“On that occasion, the defendant escaped prison and went on a crime spree around Mackay, he broke into a house and stole a car,” he said.

“When police attended his location, he drove away, police tried to intervene and he rammed the police car.

“An off-duty police officer got involved at some stage, he also rammed his car and tried to force that person’s car off the road.

“Ultimately he rammed the off-duty police officer’s car into a concrete divider.”

Police arrested alleged associates of escapee Levi James Brown after a dramatic hit and run of a police officer in North Mackay in 2018.

The court heard the 2020 offending also included driving off without paying for petrol, causing more than $12,000 damage when he rammed a police car and bursting the stolen utility into the rifle association’s galvanised shed to steal a brand new television, six shooter bags, an iPad and $120 cash

Defence barrister Sheridan Shaw, instructed by Barron and Allen Lawyers, said her client had suffered personal trauma since his return to prison.

She said Brown had just been released from hospital about a week prior after spending two weeks in hospital following a prison bashing.

Ms Shaw said her client had been in a coma in ICU for a week and a half after the assault caused bleeding on the brain about three and a half weeks ago.

“He has found himself since waking up quite paranoid … more scared of the prison environment than he has ever been,” he said.

“He says he’s continued to have pain from that and short-term memory issues.

“It’s unknown whether that will be ongoing, but at the moment he has trouble understanding sentences and will forget what you say shortly after you’ve said it.”

Ms Shaw said Brown’s previously estranged father died from a stroke soon after his parole was revoked and his mother had tried to take her own life as a result.

She said her client had also been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia after divulging he experienced auditory hallucinations and was on medication to treat that for the first time in his life.

Ms Shaw said Brown was also going through a process to make complaints against a teacher for abuse when was a student.

She said her client planned to move to Brisbane and work on an aunt’s organic farm “to get out of Mackay and the Central Queensland areas where he continues to find himself in trouble”.

Judge Brad Farr said Brown’s “disgraceful” criminal history showed not even jail sentences had a deterrent effect and “certainly no rehabilitative impact”.

He said the history was even more appalling given his age and the length of time he had spent in custody.

“It seems you commit offences whenever you are at large,” he said.

Judge Farr said protection of the community was paramount given Brown’s “lawless conduct”, noting the armed robbery was the most serious offence.

“(It) involved you behaving in the intimidating fashion we saw in the CCTV footage, disguising yourself (showing) there was some healthy degree of premeditation,“ he said.

“(You) armed yourself with a large machete, jumped onto the counter of the store where there was a lone female attendant present at the time, it would have been a terrifying experience for her … and you stole (about) $725.”

Judge Farr said Brown’s auditory hallucinations could be best described as drug-induced psychosis and he would need to stay off drugs to have any hope of future.

He said it was hoped a course Brown was doing to qualify for university would allow him to make himself useful “rather than being the menace to society you have been for quite a substantial period of time”.

Brown was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail which will be added to the full-term release date of his previous sentences.

This new sentence will begin on November 9, 2023 and Brown will become eligible for parole after he has served a third of his sentence.

This means he can apply to the parole board for release on September 9, 2025.

Brown has been spent 655 days in custody since the August 2020 crime spree but that is not declarable because he was on parole for the previous offending.

The court heard Brown would have been sentenced to about seven years in jail but that non-declarable time had been taken into account so the overall sentence was not crushing.

Brown has again been disqualified absolutely from holding a driving licence.