Rockhampton’s Rayma Sweetman sentenced for drugs, stolen cars

A frisky Queensland crim, who left fingerprints in a stolen Ford Ranger, got a rude shock when police found phone evidence of another wild ride in a stolen Subaru. It wasn’t the only damning discovery in her home.

Rayma Elizabeth Sweetman.

A recidivist criminal had an illegal saucy joy ride revealed when police seized her phone and found photographic evidence of her romp with her beau.

Rayma Elizabeth Sweetman, 27, and her then boyfriend Quenten Kyle Kirk snapped photographs of themselves carrying out sexual acts in a silver Subaru BRZ which had been stolen from Barlows Hill on January 4, 2024 between 10pm and 11pm, Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard on Monday.

Police prosecutor Corey O’Connor said Sweetman’s sexual exploits were discovered when police seized her phone during a search of her residence on January 13, 2024, and found the photographs the pair took from the romp on January 7 on her phone.

Police allege Mr Kirk was driving the stolen Subaru, with Sweetman in the passenger seat, in Berserker on January 11 at 2.30pm, Mr O’Connor said.

Mr O’Connor said Sweetman was captured on CCTV getting out of the stolen Subaru at a Dean Street business two days later.

Sweetman’s fingerprints were found inside another stolen vehicle – a grey Ford Ranger stolen from Sunnybank on November 5, 2023 – that was located parked near the Glenmore Tavern in Norman Gardens.

Rayma Elizabeth Sweetman.

Mr O’Connor said it was alleged Mr Kirk was captured on CCTV exiting the stolen vehicle after it arrived at the car park.

He said there photos on Sweetman’s phone of the interior and exterior of the Ford Ranger as well as references to the Ranger in conversations between her and Mr Kirk.

Sweetman was also busted in possession of tainted property, including items stolen from the Department of Environmental Science sometime between April 19, 2023 and January 14, 2024.

Those items included a smart watch, two drones, Garmin communicators, vehicle plates and an iPhone.

Sweetman also had four rounds of ammunition, a telescopic baton, a large quantity Makita power tools marked with nicknames in chalk, a bicycle, electric scooters, various power tools, a black motorbike helmet, a Weber barbecue, fuel pressure pump, air compressor, drill and attachments, laptop, six mobile phones and assorted power cords.

Police also located four water pipes, digital scales and clip seal bags.

The air compressor, fuel pressure pump and one drone were stolen from a Nine Mile address, the court heard.

Police searched her residence again on April 12 and found a clip-seal bag of 0.13 grams of methamphetamines in her shorts, two glass pipes, scales, clip seal bags and a spoon.

After receiving a tip off, police returned to Sweetman’s residence on July 21 looking for her latest partner, who is not Mr Kirk, as he was wanted on a warrant.

Mr O’Connor said after knocking on the door, police observed Sweetman quickly shutting the rear sliding door and drawing the curtains closed.

He said police could then hear shuffling from inside and sounds of furniture moving.

Mr O’Connor said police repeatedly requested Sweetman come to the door.

“After six minutes, the defendant opened the door, she appeared puffed and said to police that there was no one inside,” he said.

“Police conducted a search of the dwelling.

“During the search, the wanted person fell through the ceiling and was later retrieved inside the roof cavity.”

Mr O’Connor said when police asked Sweetman if she had been coerced to assist the wanted person, she replied: “F**k no”.

Defence lawyer Jess King said her client had been in a relationship with Mr Kirk until April 2024 when he was remanded in custody.

Ms King said Sweetman started using alcohol and marijuana when she was 12 years old and started using amphetamines when she was 16.

She said meth became a significant problem for her after she turned 17 and she did address her drug problems when her son came along, but she returned to drugs in 2020.

Ms King said Sweetman wanted to cease using drugs so that she could be part of her son’s life.

She said Sweetman’s parents care for her four year old son.

Sweetman’s criminal record includes a district court sentence in 2022 for a joy ride and theft of a man’s pokie winnings.

She pleaded guilty on August 26 to two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, two of receiving tainted property, two of possessing phones used a crime, three breaches of bail, one of possessing drugs, four of possessing drug utensils/pipes, one of possessing suspected stolen items, one of contravening a police order about electronically stored information, one of possessing a weapon and one of obstructing police.

Sweetman was sentenced to 12 months prison with immediate release on parole.

Mr Kirk has been charged with two counts of receiving tainted property and three of unlawful use of a motor vehicle; along with one count each of unlawful possession of a motor vehicle, enter dwelling and commit, robbery with violence while armed/in company/at night, attempted enter dwelling with intent at night in company, possessing anything used in the commission of a crime, possessing utensils, possessing restricted items, unlawful possession of suspected stolen property and possessing tainted property.

He has not entered a plea.

His charges are next to be mentioned in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on September 11.