Christopher Joseph Talovic jailed for arson, stealing boats and cars

Armed with a loaded gun, a former bricklayer and meat worker went on a wild return trip across Rockhampton, Gladstone and Hervey Bay.

Christopher Joseph Talovic’s wild crime spree involved stealing three boats worth $127,500 and resulting in Talovic travelling about 1500km, the Rockhampton District Court heard.

A drug user who once fled to Western Australia after being busted with 19.5 of methamphetamines and a loaded firearm went on a six-day crime spree throughout Queensland causing $140,000 damage, starting a day after his parole ended for the meth possession.

Christopher Joseph Talovic’s wild crime spree involved stealing three boats worth $127,500 and resulting in Talovic travelling about 1500km, Rockhampton District Court heard on Monday, January 28.

Judge Jeff Clarke said Talovic, 40, started the six-day crime spree on February 23, 2024 by cutting the fence of a Kent Street, Rockhampton, residence and stealing a moped which was in pieces and a write-off when police located it.

He went on to steal three vehicles – a $14,000 Mitsubishi Outlander from a single mother and two unlocked Ford Rangers from an Ergon Energy depot in the Gladstone region.

Talovic used one of the Rangers to ram the gate of the depot yard open and then stole the other undamaged one.

He first drove the Outlander north, carrying out fuel drive-offs at Sarina and Nebo, and two days later, he was in Pialba in Hervey Bay, breaking into a marina at 1am where he cut a hole in the fence.

“(Talovic) stole a dinghy and trailer valued at over $10,000 by pushing it through the hole he’d cut in the fence, but the hole wasn’t big enough, so he scratched the boat, causing damage to it,” Judge Clarke said.

“He left that boat down the road, went back in and took a second boat worth $47,500.”

Both were later recovered but the marina business lost $7700 in damages.

The Outlander, however, was torched by Talovic.

Judge Clarke said Talovic drove to Rockhampton, after he ripped out the GPS system out of the Ranger which caused $8000 damage, and tried to sell the boat.

The next day, Talovic stole a boat and trailer from a Yeppoon address.

“This boat was worth $70,000,” Judge Clarke said.

Judge Clarke said Talovic unlawfully used the boat in the Fitzroy River, ignored police requests to return the vessel to shore, taking it downstream to avoid capture which led to $30,000 worth of damage to its motor.

Talovic went on to break into a motorcycle repair shop at 2.30am the next day by smashing a glass door and setting off an alarm.

He caused $12,000 damage at that premises but didn’t steal anything.

Talovic went to another motorcycle shop, this one in Berserker, and smashed a glass window with the intention of gaining entry but failed, causing $1000 in damages to that premise.

He returned to the first shop and tried to push a motorcycle out, but failed.

“The total cost of loss over all of this offending was in excess of $140,000 worth of loss to the community,” Judge Clarke said.

“With about $60,000 of that loss unrecoverable.

“Much of the offending was captured on CCTV footage.”

He said Talovic confessed to the offending and expressed remorse to police, telling them he was using drugs throughout the whole period.

Talovic had just finished a parole period for a two years and nine months’ prison term he received in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton on February 16, 2022, for possessing 19.587g of meth, a loaded revolver, digital scales and a pipe.

He fled from Queensland to Western Australia while on bail after police found the methamphetamine and weapons in his home at Hervey Bay on October 28, 2019.

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said her client was the black sheep of the family with his mother, who worked as a nurse, having raised him and his siblings on her own after Talovic’s parents separated when he was young and he doesn’t know his father.

She said Talovic left school in year 10 and has not tickets or trades but had worked as a bricklayer and concreter as well as at meatworks in Toowoomba and Rockhampton.

Ms Marsden said her client started using marijuana when he was 15 and moved on to heavier drugs in his mid to late 20s.

She said the father-of-three “realises he is running out of chances with his family”.

Talovic pleaded guilty on January 28, 2025, to three counts of wilful damage, three of stealing items worth over $5000, two of unlawful use of a motor vehicle at night, three of stealing, and one each of enter premise with intent to commit an indictable offence, attempt to enter a premise, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, arson, unlawful use of a motor vehicle with intent to commit an indictable offence and unlawful use of a motor vehicle to facilitate an indictable offence.

He received a head sentence of 4.5 years with 334 days presentence custody as time already served and parole eligibility set for August 29, 2025.