Matthew John Whyburn sentenced for statue robbery

A “public menace” armed himself with a VB can and randomly attacked a car full of passengers on Boxing Day after enlisting the help of a skateboard to steal a garden statue.

A “public menace” armed himself with a VB can and randomly attacked a car full of passengers after enlisting the help of a skateboard to steal a garden statue.

Matthew John Whyburn was sentenced on Friday, February 25 to six months’ jail suspended for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of wilful damage and stealing.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard Whyburn was drunk when he used a skateboard to carry out a statue heist in Sippy Downs on October 24, 2021.

“ … (Whyburn) removed one of the statues valued at $200 from a garden bed, carried it to the footpath and placed it on the skateboard,” police prosecutor Brendan Newman said.

Sergeant Newman said Whyburn returned at 10.50pm to steal another $3000 buddha statue from the University Way property.

He said police found the two statues on October 26 when they raided Whyburn’s address.

“The large buddha statue had its head broken off and was damaged,” Sergeant Newman said.

The 36-year-old also armed himself with a VB tinnie and randomly attacked a car leaving the Sunshine Plaza carpark on December 26, 2021.

Matthew John Whyburn was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence for 18 months on Friday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of wilful damage and stealing. Picture: Sunshine Coast.

Sergeant Newman said he was yelling at the passengers when he lashed out and dented the car’s door.

“ (Whyburn) has poured VB all over the windscreen, continued to yell at the passengers and then stood back and threw a VB can at the car,” he said.

“He then punched the car several times before walking through the carpark.”

Police later found Whyburn who was “belligerent”.

The court heard several stealing and violent offences littered Whyburn’s 11-page criminal history.

The Sippy Downs resident’s offending also breached a suspended sentence that was imposed in August, 2021.

Sergeant Newman said it wouldn’t be unjust for the six-month sentence to be activated and asked Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist to impose another six to nine-month term.

Solicitor Liesel Rogan told the court Whyburn’s offending was an example of poor decision making while intoxicated.

“It was completely stupid and unsophisticated in nature which I think is demonstrated by the method of transportation being as skateboard,” she said.

“The result of the buddha losing his head was because he toppled off that skateboard.”

Ms Rogan said Mr Stjernqvist could extend the operational period of the suspended sentence and punish him with another prison sentence between four and six months.

She said the furniture removalist had refrained from any property offending for the past four years and prison time would impact his rehabilitation efforts.

“He instructs the birth of his daughter … has been a big motivation for him to change his life and he has found self worth through employment,” Ms Rogan said.

Mr Stjernqvist told the court Whyburn still owed $21,200 of a $21,500 State Penalties Enforcement Registry debt he had accumulated through several fines.

“You are a public menace,” Mr Stjernqvist said.

He activated Whyburn’s previous six-month suspended sentence and granted him immediate parole.

The father’s 43 days of pre-sentence custody were declared as time already served.