Frank Dwayne George jailed for brazen robberies, car thefts

The staggering toll of a two-day spree where a young car thief and his team of thugs terrorised a Qld community, subjecting innocent workers and seniors to “outrageous violence” can be revealed.

A 21-year-old car thief and his mates terrorised a Queensland community over two days, leaving a trail of carnage and victims in their wake.

A brazen car thief and his young mates went “driving around like gangsters”, inflicting “outrageous violence” on eight victims, one of whom was left passing blood, and another so frightened she retired early.

Frank Dwayne George, 21, was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court after pleading guilty to 16 charges.

George and a group of young males started their violent spree at a Central Queensland school on November 11, 2023, preying on a 73-year-old man and his wife in her 30s and targeting them for their car.

The court heard George was affected by drugs and alcohol during the spree.

The victims of the first offence were cleaning out a unit at the Wadja Wadja High School in Woorabinda when they were approached by the 17-year-old and two co-offenders and asked for cigarettes.

The Welcome to Woorabinda sign. Photo: Geordi Offord

The victims gave the boys $5 and they left.

The boys returned in the afternoon with others and asked for water.

Crown prosecutor Monique Bros-Wilshire said the male victim opened the door and gave one of the boys a bottle of water.

“It’s then that three offenders immediately push their way through the doorway,” she said.

One of the offenders pushed the male victim so hard that he was lifted off his feet, and he slid across the floor.

The victim was then punched in the back of the head three times, and he wrestled with the offender on the ground.

A second offender joined the attack, punching the victim before grabbing a broom and threatening the victim with it and then hitting him in the head with the broom several times.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said the female victim attempted to aid the male victim by grabbing one of the offenders, but George pushed her to the ground.

“She’s fled to the bedroom and locked herself inside,” she said.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said George chased after her and kicked the door until it “essentially breaks into pieces” and pushed her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground.

She said the woman lost consciousness and when she regained it, George was standing over her with one leg on either side of her body.

“The three offenders then ran out of the unit,” Ms Bros-Wilshire said.

They had the keys to the victim’s Kia Canto and drove it to Rockhampton where they went on to commit armed robberies at The Lionleigh Pub, IGA, Raffles Hotel and Pine Beach Hotel.

The one of the co-offenders from the school robbery was sentenced in December 2024.

During that sentencing, Judge Jeff Clarke said the lady was very shaken and she had fingernail scratch marks throughout the body, arm, chest; swollen left eye, pain to her hips, rib and bottom lower abdomen.

“She had severe pain to her lower stomach area, and she found blood in her underwear,” he said.

“Thankfully she was found to have suffered only musculoskeletal injury.”

Her husband had a cut inside his mouth and felt sore on the side of his body.

The Lionleigh Pub robbery in Wandal occurred while the pub was closed but there were still two staff members at the venue who heard two of the attackers “making a ruckus” and confronted them.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said the offenders were “jumping around in a fighting stance” as the victims attempted to lock the attackers out, but George punched the victim several times in the arm.

One of George’s co-offenders in this crime threw an object at the door, and after the group shattered it, they stole eight bottles of Vodka Cruisers along with one of the victim’s backpacks.

The co-offender was armed with a glass bottle, and George, still armed with the hammer, chased the victims who feared for their lives.

George and his co-offenders went on to break into the next door IGA and steal $1500 of cigarettes before driving to Raffles Hotel about 2.15am, shattered a door and stole items including a drawer of a cash register.

Raffles Hotel in Rockhampton. Picture: Google Maps

He was one of a group of offenders who broke into the Pine Beach Hotel at Emu Park about 4.30am on November 12, 2023.

A staff member, aged 63, confronted the group and positioned herself between the stolen goods and the exit.

A co-offender picked up a fire extinguisher, raised it above his head and threatened the victim, yelling at her to give him money, to which she replied there wasn’t any.

The Pine Beach Hotel provided an impact statement to the court saying she had to retire on a pension due to the impact of the robbery.

The Pine Beach Hotel.

George, who was a passenger in the stolen car, went on to carry out a fuel drive off at Duaringa for $13 and one at another a few hours later for $44.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said he attempted to steal a 66-year-old woman’s car as she was about to load her dog into the car to take it for a walk at 5.30pm on November 13.

The stolen Kia pulled up a few metres away with all of the offenders exiting and George approaching this victim from behind and snatched her bag from her arm.

He then entered the woman’s car via the driver’s door while searching the contents of her bag which he ultimately threw on the ground.

The victim’s son had seen the stolen Kia pull up and alerted his partner to call police.

George then left in the stolen Kia with the others and pulled up near a Canning Street, Rockhampton, address about 10 minutes later.

The next victim had left his car running and the offenders pulled up in the Kia, jumped into the new victim’s vehicle and drove off.

The Kia was found with significant damage to the front right-side bumper and fingerprints were matched to George.

Later that night, a 64-year-old woman parked her Mercedes Benz in front of her residence and went inside.

The offenders, including George, pulled up and George ran towards the Mercedes.

The woman returned outside and screamed at George to “f*** off”.

“The defendant has then turned and confronted her in the driveway in an aggressive manner,” Ms Bros-Wilshire said.

“She’s retreated back, screaming for help.

“The defendant used both arms to push her out of his way and run towards the car.”

George was unsuccessful in starting the car, instead grabbing a garage remote from the centre console and fleeing the scene.

He was arrested on January 3, 2024.

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said George’s parents died when he was four or five years old and he was then raised by his siblings and cousins.

She said his family life was plagued by drugs, alcohol abuse and violence.

Ms Marsden said George had attended Mt Isa State School and later was a boarder at a college near Ingham until he was suspended in Grade 6.

She said he had been drinking alcohol since he was about 10 years old, using marijuana at 13, chroming at 11 and had used methamphetamines.

Ms Marsden said this offending took place weeks after he had been released from jail and while he had been incarcerated, one of his cousins had died.

“He made poor impulsive decisions to get straight back in with his peers and go back to the offending,” she said.

George pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary in company with property damage, serious assault, assaults occasioning bodily harm, armed robbery in company with personal violence, unlawful use of a motor vehicle to facilitate an indictable offence at night in company with property damage, armed robbery in company, attempted armed robbery in company, robbery in company with personal violence, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, along with five stealing and two enter premises and commit indictable offences by break.

He received a head sentence of five years’ jail to commence after he completed sentences handed down in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court in June and August 2023.

He was released immediately on parole after 186 days presentence custody was declared.