Cody Ray Moran in Rockhampton Magistrates Court for stealing

A Central Queensland father with a seven-page criminal record has spent every one of his four-year-old daughter’s birthdays in custody and wants to be out for her next birthday.

Cody Ray Moran, 39.

A Rockhampton father with a seven-page criminal record has spent every one of his four-year-old daughter’s birthdays in custody and wants to be out for her next birthday.

Cody Ray Moran, 39, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on August 7 to six counts of stealing, two counts of failing to appear in accordance with undertaking, and one count each of trespass, possessing a knife in a public place, unlawful possession of suspected stolen property and contravene direction or requirement of police officer.

The court heard Moran stole alcohol twice, sunglasses, a power bank, food and electric shaver from various businesses in the Rockhampton region.

Police prosecutor Brendon Selic said Moran was also caught at Stockland Rockhampton Shopping Centre on April 8 with art supplies, jewellery and cologne, which was all seized by police.

A few days later, on April 12, Moran had another run in with police at Stockland Rockhampton Shopping Centre when they searched him and discovered a throwing knife, the court heard.

Mr Selic said police attended an address on Campbell St, Rockhampton, on March 28 at 10.45pm to reports of people squatting at a vacant property.

He said police searched the property and found Moran and a woman laying on a mattress asleep in the backyard.

He said Moran failed to report to Rockhampton Watchhouse within seven days of being issued with an identifying particulars notice and also failed to appear in court on May 17 and June 12.

The court heard Moran was on five suspended sentences and parole at the time he committed the offences.

Defence lawyer Samantha Legrady said her client had a four-year-old daughter and had spent every one of her birthdays in custody and wanted to be out for her next birthday.

Ms Legrady said the 40 days her client had spent in Capricornia Correctional Centre had been difficult and that when he first went into custody he was severely assaulted.

She said her client was in a car accident when he was around 13 years old and suffered physical injuries to his back and was on pain medication.

“He was addicted to opioids,” she said.

“He was taking oxycodone and morphine based drugs and that became an issue for him.”

She said her client couldn’t remember a “great deal of anything” during the offending period.

“Everything has been a bit of a haze for him,” she said.

“The drugs he was on affected everything.

“He said while he has been in custody it has been the clearest he has felt and thought in a very long time and would like this to be his normal.”

Magistrate Cameron Press sentenced Moran to six months prison, with immediate parole eligibility and declared 40 days of pre-sentence custody as time already served.