Angus Brian Walmsley jailed for violent robbery of taxi driver at Rockhampton after being caught at Hervey Bay

The identity of a young robber, who bashed a taxi driver near a Qld airport so badly he couldn’t eat solid food, can be revealed along with his criminal history from another state.

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A young robber who bashed a taxi robber near a regional Queensland airport had moved to the Sunshine State two months prior after being convicted of burglary offences in Western Australia.

Angus Brian Walmsley, 23, lied to the taxi driver when he hailed it at 11am on January 27, 2024, telling him he had a $100 note that would require “some change” once they arrived at the destination – the Rockhampton Airport, the Rockhampton District Court heard on Wednesday.

Judge Jeff Clarke said Walmsley had made no effort to conceal his identity when he hailed the taxi.

“Near the airport, Walmsley asked him to pull over and claimed at that stage that he had lost his wallet,” he said.

Rockhampton Airport. Photo: Chris Ison / The Morning Bulletin

Walmsley pretended to search for his wallet, retrieving his scooter from the boot before approaching the driver’s open door while the victim was seated in the driver’s seat.

The defendant repeatedly punched the victim in the face as he clutched about $75 cash in his hand which Walmsley stole before running off

“(The taxi driver) was bleeding profusely from his face and drove himself into the airport complex and to clean himself up in the toilets,” Judge Clarke said.

“(He) later reported Walmsley’s gutless attack on him.”

He said the victim suffered lacerations that required suturing, along with a facial fracture which resolved without need of treatment but he was unable to consume solid food for about a week.

Judge Clarke described the attack as “quite protracted and gratuitous” by “quite a tall and heavily built young man”.

After the assault on the taxi driver, Walmsley went to the nearby Hertz car hire dealership, searched for keys before going into the yard and driving off in a 2022 Mazda Cx5 which he drove until he was apprehended on the Maryborough Hervey Bay Road – about 384 km from Rockhampton Airport or 4.25 hours drive away.

Angus Brian Walmsley, 23, drove from Rockhampton Airport and was captured by police driving a stolen hire car on Maryborough Hervey Bay Road after he assaulted a taxi driver and stole $75 on January 27, 2024.

The court heard Walmsley left school when he was 16 years old and moved to moved to Western Australia to live with his father who had arranged a diesel apprenticeship for him in the mines.

Judge Clarke said Walmsley “was unable to complete the TAFE component” of the apprenticeship and “hung around deadbeats” before he got convicted of “some burglary offences”.

Walmsley worked for KFC and in a security position before relocating to Rockhampton to live with his mother in November 2023.

He initially had a job lined up with Subway but that fell through just before this offending occurred.

Walmsley was abusing alcohol and tried meth for the first time right before the attack on the taxi driver, the court heard.

Judge Clarke said this may “provide some context to the odd way” Walmsley conducted himself at 11am in the morning.

He has also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and autism.

Walmsley pleaded guilty to one count each of robbery with personal violence, enter premise with intent of committing an indictable offence and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

He was sentenced to 3.5 years prison with 368 days presentence custody declared as time already served and released immediately on parole.