Former Qld bull rider Jack Robert Scott Hallam jailed for Rockhampton carjacking

Destined for international stardom, a young Qld private school student’s bull riding career was cut short by Covid border closures. But the biggest threat to his freedom was still to come.

Jack Robert Scott Hallam, 21, carried out two armed robberies in 2022 – one at a Rockhampton sports store and the other a Mustang carjacking at the Sunshine Coast where an associate was armed with a sawn-off shotgun.

A young Queensland man had a bright future competing internationally as a bull rider until Covid border closures prevented his departure.

Now, it’s his love of methamphetamine getting in the way of moving forward in life and enjoying everyday freedoms.

Jack Robert Scott Hallam, 23, had been out of jail less than two weeks after being previously locked up over a carjacking when he committed another, Rockhampton District Court heard.

During the initial carjacking the former St Brendan’s College student was with a co-offender who brandished a sawn-off shotgun when they decided to carry out the armed robbery of a 57-year-old Ford Mustang driver on his way to work at Maroochydore about 5am on September 21, 2022.

They were in a stolen Ranger when they overtook the Mustang and stopped in front of it, forcing the Mustang to stop and pointing the shotgun in the owner’s face.

Crown prosecutor Ashleigh Worthington told Rockhampton District Court Hallam was the “silent” offender in that carjacking.

In the more recent armed robbery of a Central Queensland pharmacy delivery driver however, he had “graduated on this occasion” to being the carjacker armed with the weapon – a knife – and carried it out alone.

The court heard Hallam had received a head sentence from Judge Craig Chowdhury in 2023 for the 2022 carjacking and other offences of five-years prison with 413 days presentence custody declared as time already served and immediate parole eligibility.

Ms Worthington said Hallam was released on parole on August 14, 2023, committed the pharmacy delivery driver carjacking on the morning of August 27 and was back in custody on August 29.

She said the victim was a 74-year-old man who was delivering medication to a patient in Berserker for his employer, Ramsay Pharmacy Rockhampton, at about 10am.

“As he returned to his car, the defendant ran towards him and made demands for keys,” Ms Worthington said.

“He was brandishing a kitchen carving knife with a significant blade that being in order of 20 centimetres long.”

She said the victim handed Hallam the keys and backed away.

Hallam got in the car and made further demands, this time for the victim’s phone, as the victim continued to back away.

He then drove off and the victim called emergency services.

“While on the phone, Hallam came back and made a further demand for the phone,” Ms Worthington said, telling the court this was when the victim started running away from Hallam who got back into the pharmacy’s car and drove it away.

Hallam went on to carry out a fuel drive off worth $75 and the car was dumped at Allenstown Shopping Centre that afternoon with the cars inside and the lights on.

He also entered the Woolworths, discarded a hat and his track pants that he’d worn during the carjacking and left the store.

Ms Worthington said Hallam left “a litany of” forensic evidence in the car and was captured on CCTV at Allenstown.

Defence barrister Jordan Ahlstrand said his client had been an Australian junior bull-riding champion when he was 17 and was picked to travel to America before Covid caused the international borders to shut down, so he didn’t get to go.

He said Hallam’s father had arranged to pick his client up and take him to work in the mines after he was released from prison in 2023, but his son told him he was “just going to catch up with some friends”.

“As a consequence of leaving his father’s supervision, he finds himself back in custody,” Mr Ahlstrand said.

He also said Hallam’s father had now retired and intended to take Hallam to a remote property for his first six months out of prison before setting him up with a lawn mowing business.

Mr Ahlstrand said his client had started using marijuana when he was 15 or 16 and that it “rapidly increased” to meth when he was about 18.

He said Hallam was drug affected at the time of the pharmacy delivery carjacking, accepted that this victim was a vulnerable man and wanted to convey his apology to him.

Judge Jeff Clarke described Hallam’s offending as “quite brazen outrageous conduct”.

Hallam pleaded guilty to one count each of armed robbery, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and stealing.

He was sentenced to 3.5 years prison, cumulative on the 2023 sentence and with parole eligibility from March 1, 2026.