Alex Stevens in Maroochydore court for car theft, fuel drive offs, break ins

A “selfish” 21-year-old could be in prison until 2026 for 57 charges where he left Sunshine Coast victims $120,000 out of pocket. Read about his crimes and his punishment.

A Sunshine Coast man’s brazen crimes have caught up to him after he was punished for 57 charges that caused a total of $120,000 in “extensive” damages.

Alex Graeme Stevens, 21, was given three years’ prison with a parole eligibility date and disqualified from driving for four years in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on September 20, 2022.

The court heard how Stevens, who had seven pages of criminal history, had been committing a long list of crimes through the Sunshine Coast region between March 3 and May 31, 2022.

Police prosecutor Mick Ruddiman said Stevens’ oldest victim was aged 76, who he targeted on May 6 in a “totally selfish” act.

It was midnight when a sensor light went off and alerted the elderly man that Stevens had broken into his Nissan van at Mountain Creek.

The 76-year-old confronted Stevens and tried to remove him from the van but Stevens quickly reversed and sped through the victim’s closed front gate causing damage to the vehicle, brickwork and gate.

Court documents revealed the next night Stevens stole a blue Subaru Forester from a house in Nambour on Carter Rd with the victim waking at 5am to the sound of his car being started.

Then on May 9, a Ford Ranger ute was stolen from a man’s garage in Woombye on Upper Wakefield St by Stevens.

This victim was also woken in the early hours of the morning to the sound of his car being started.

A short time later at 6.30am the Ranger was seen by a witness to be bogged in mud in Forest Glen.

Stevens was filmed by the witness trying to remove the bogged car before he decided to go and steal another mode of transport.

Alex Stevens faced 57 charges in Maroochydore Magistrates Court.

His next victim was a 32-year-old woman who had gone away for the weekend with her family.

Stevens broke into the house and found the keys to their Isuzu D-Max which he drove off in.

Court documents stated at 8.15pm on May 18, 2022, Stevens parked the stolen blue Subaru Forester out the front of Curtain Wonderland at the Sunshine Coast Homemaker Centre.

He then reversed at speed, colliding with the glass doors at the front of the business and causing major damage in excess of $30,000.

Wallets that contained bank cards were also stolen by Stevens from various houses around the region as well as number plates that he would remove from victims’ cars.

Stevens also drove dangerously to evade police on several occasions by driving through a red light and driving on the wrong side of the road, along with completing numerous fuel drive offs.

Defence solicitor Luke Bull said his client could end up spending the whole of his prison term in actual custody as he didn’t have a stable address to be bailed to.

Mr Bull said Stevens had completed up to Year 9 at high school but had a troubled upbringing where he experienced homelessness.

“He’s got a pattern that he does need to break,” Mr Bull said.

“He’s clearly sick of it and is recognising that his offending is leading to large terms of imprisonment.”

Magistrate Stjernqvist set Stevens’ parole eligibility date at August 19, 2023.

Convictions were recorded for all 57 offences that he entered pleas of guilty to including burglary, stealing, unlawful use of motor vehicle, dangerous operation and enter premises.