Inside Central QLD biggest court cases of 2023
Central Queensland courts are gearing up for yet another busy year with multiple cases involving serious allegations making their way through the system – some to be finalised this calendar year.
Police & Courts
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Rockhampton courts are gearing up for yet another busy year with multiple cases involving serious allegations making their way through the system – some to be finalised this calendar year.
Here are the top 10 major Central Queensland cases expected to be resolved, or progressed towards a resolution, by the end of 2023.
SET FOR SENTENCING
Gracemere siege and house fire
A man accused of torching his own garage during a five-hour siege in Gracemere early last year is scheduled to be sentenced in Rockhampton District Court on January 30.
Clive Robert Peckett is accused of the Gracemere siege and house fire at 2 Kirsten Close on March 20, 2022.
He was charged with one count of arson (domestic violence offence), two counts of serious assault on police, one of seriously obstructing police and one of wilful damage following the siege.
Read more about the allegations here: VIDEO: Gracemere siege and house fire
Massage therapist accused of sexual assault
A former Rockhampton massage therapist accused of raping, sexually assaulting and filming or photographing the genitals of three female clients is set to be sentenced in Rockhampton District Court in February.
The alleged offending took place at Essential Massage where Mr Wu worked at the time.
SET FOR TRIAL
Capricorn Hwy, Stanwell, fatal ambulance crash
The driver of the truck which allegedly drove into the back of an ambulance, killing a patient and a nurse, at roadworks on the Capricorn Highway at Stanwell will stand trial in March.
Timothy Lee Wilson entered a plea of not guilty in Rockhampton District Court in early December to one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing the deaths of 65-year-old Maryborough nurse Ray Wyeth and 87-year-old Martyn House.
The trial starts on March 13 an is expected to take at least four days.
COURSE OF ACTION UNKNOWN
Marlborough fatal crash accused
Javarn Roy Doyle is accused of having drugs in his system when the vehicle he was driving crashed on the Marlborough Sarina Road at Clarke Creek, north of Rockhampton, killing three people including Doyle’s two-year-old son Izaya.
It is alleged the vehicle left the road and collided with a culvert about 10.15pm on November 11, 2021.
Izaya’s mother and Mr Doyle’s partner, Kira Jasperson, was also injured in the crash.
Mr Doyle has been charged with four counts dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death or grievous bodily harm, one count of driver failed to ensure child over six months and under four years was in child restraint, one of drive demerit point suspended licence, one drug drive, one fail to ensure passengers wore seatbelt, one contravene probation, one contravene a community service order, one fail to appear and eight breaches of bail.
Mr Doyle’s lawyers had hoped to finalise this matter at the same time he was sentenced in the Rockhampton District Court on December 7, for a failed robbery, by way of an ex officio indictment – where matters are pushed through the court processes faster than normal, but the Crown prosecution rejected the application.
Depot Hill housemate murder accused
Arthur James Spencer is accused of murdering his housemate in Depot Hill in 2019.
Mr Spencer’s housemate, Edward Bashford, 56, was found seriously injured in a room he rented on Campbell Street on April 16.
He died at the scene.
Defence barrister Scott Moon told the Supreme Court in November the way the matter would proceed would depend on whether the Crown accepted a submission defence had made.
The matter is scheduled to be mentioned on January 30.
Blackwater stabbing murder accused
Gwenda Lee Brown is accused of fatally stabbing her 43-year-old partner in Blackwater on March 16, 2018.
The 49 year old is charged with one count of murder – domestic violence offence.
In a bail application heard in the Brisbane Supreme Court on October 9, 2019, the court was told Ms Brown’s partner was stabbed in the groin, stomach and right thigh, and it was the wound to the thigh that was lethal.
In the Rockhampton Supreme Court on December 15, defence barrister Andrew Hoare said he had been given instructions by Ms Brown to make a submission to the Crown in respect of resolving the matter.
Gladstone father accused of killing baby
Tiaan Burger is accused of murdering his four-month-old son.
The 27 year old was arrested on January 24, 2020, over the death of Finnick Hercules Burger nine days earlier.
Police previously alleged the baby sustained “multiple injuries” during an incident at a house at Sun Valley, Gladstone, on January 12.
Finnick was taken to Gladstone Hospital by paramedics before being flown to Brisbane’s Children’s Hospital.
He died on January 15.
Mr Burger was committed in Brisbane Magistrates Court on December 19, 2022, to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
Extortion and computer hacking case
Bruce Arthur Kerr is charged with extortion and computer hacking over allegations he threatened to interfere with a client’s computer systems if he wasn’t paid.
The owner of Kerr Solutions IT, Berserker, claimed through barrister Andrew Hoare in Rockhampton Magistrates Court during a hearing that he legally was allowed to carry out actions that caused disruption to the customer’s $150,000-a-day business operations.
Mr Schubert said the IT business owner allegedly threatened to cut off client Green Steel’s computers, which were operating to a server under Mr Kerr’s control, if outstanding invoices were not paid by 2pm.
He said Mr Kerr allegedly put the threat in writing when he emailed Green Steel owner Brett Steven Green at 1.15pm on May 27, again asking for the invoices to be paid by 2pm to “guarantee uninterrupted access to all their business systems”.
When the bills were not paid by the 2pm timeline, Green Steel was locked out of its computer systems until another IT business came in and got the business back up and operating.
Rockhampton’s Judge Jeff Clarke ruled himself out of being involved with the case in December when Mr Kerr’s indictment was presented to the court.
This means the matter will either go to trial or sentence in front of a visiting judge.
The court heard on December 9 that defence barrister Andrew Hoare had been briefed and Mr Kerr’s legal team was not yet in a position to advise the court if the matter was to go to trial or not.
Judge Clarke adjourned the matter to February 17, 2023.
Capricorn Coast farm tragedy
Two people and a company are facing court proceedings after a man was killed in an industrial incident at a Capricorn Coast pineapple farm in 2021.
Cody Smith, 25, died after a harvester struck power lines at Lake Mary Pines on Ingrey Road, Bungundarra, on July 14, 2021.
Those charged under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 are Colin Martin Stevens, Nathan Luke Stevens and Ergon Energy Corporation Limited.
All three have been charged with failing to comply with a Category 2 electrical safety duty – expose an individual to a risk of death, or serious injury, or illness.
This charge is dealt with in the Magistrates court so no committal process is required.
Covid lockdown Yeppoon meth bust
Two men accused of escaping Covid lockdown and being busted with more than 1kg of crystalline substance, which is believed to be methamphetamines worth about $500,000 to $1 million, want to cross examine police witnesses.
Former prison officer Stephen Gary Crisp, 37, was charged after police allegedly found a staggering amount of drugs and weapons at a Serengeti Court, Yeppoon, residence on August 5, 2021.
Gold Coast man Nathanael John Prange, 40, was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possessing dangerous drugs, unlawful possession of a restricted drug, possession of a knife in a public place and other drug and weapon-related offences.
Mr Crisp was committed in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on September 16, 2022, to stand trial in the Rockhampton Supreme Court. An indictment has yet to be presented.
Mr Prange’s high court charge of one count of possessing more than 200g of a schedule one drug is set for mention in the supreme court on January 30.
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