Warwick’s thieves and fraudsters revealed - full list
From a pair of Warwick men who bludgeoned and threatened their victims in a meth-fuelled home invasion to a grandmother lured into an international fraud scheme, these are the residents recently sentenced for theft and fraud offences.
Police & Courts
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Scores of Warwick thieves and fraudsters have been brought before the region’s courts in recent years, from two men who carried out a violent and meth-fuelled home invasion to a grandmother who was roped into an international money laundering plot.
See your full list of the most shocking frauds, burglaries, and thefts to take place in Warwick and the wider region below.
CONVICTIONS RECORDED
Jason Corey Brackin, Bailey Adam Dennison
Warwick men jailed over brutal home invasion
Jason Corey Brackin and Bailey Adam Dennison were each hit with years-long jail sentences after they carried out a violent armed robbery while “in the grips of meth”.
The men, aged 31 and 20 at the time of court proceedings, were turned away twice on the same day in September, 2019 when they went to a Warwick home looking for crack, with Brackin breaking down the front door with an axe on the second occasion.
Warwick District Court was told it was only days later that the pair and a third offender broke into the home while armed, stealing two gaming consoles, jewellery worth $5500, cash, and a small amount of marijuana.
Two of the house’s occupants barricaded themselves in their bedroom in an attempt to shield themselves, but Dennison and the unnamed accomplice rammed down the door with a coffee table before threatening the man inside with a knife and beating him with a hatchet.
Dennison also found a third resident and threatened to kill him before slashing his face with a chef’s knife, causing a wound that took 90 sutures to seal shut.
Both men pleaded guilty to armed robbery with personal violence, armed burglary in company, wounding, and wilful damage to property.
They were both sentenced to jail with eligibility for parole after 12 months.
Lynette Irene Sexton
Southern Downs grandmother roped into overseas fraud plot
A Stanthorpe grandmother narrowly avoided time behind bars after she was roped into an international money laundering scheme through online dating, losing every cent of her own savings.
Police searched Lynette Irene Sexton’s home in 2019 after receiving a report about credit card fraud, where they located boxes and packaging receipts for items worth about $11,000, which had been redirected from their initial destination to the Stanthorpe woman’s home.
Warwick District Court heard the 71-year-old said she was in an online relationship with a man in Malaysia, who had been sending the parcels to her so she could forward them overseas to him.
Further investigation soon revealed Sexton was part of a fraudulent scheme in which a person or group would use victims’ bank card details to purchase items online, which they intercepted mid-transfer and redirected to Sexton’s address.
A total of $59,603.25 was placed in her account between April 3 and June 29 that year, almost all of which was withdrawn at various ATMs and Eftpos terminals in Malaysia.
The court was told Sexton knew to an extent that her actions were illegal, as she described her conduct as fraud and said she “could be in trouble legally” while messaging the man she believed was her partner.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering and was sentenced to 18 months’ jail, wholly suspended for 18 months.
Keith John Dyball
Convicted meth trafficker jailed over brazen burglaries
A convicted drug trafficker who stole $15,000 in cash from one of his criminal associates was sentenced to jail in the Warwick court.
Keith John Dyball was busted via phone intercept telling another man how to break into the Queenslander Hotel at Goondiwindi in October, 2019, telling his accomplice “this needed to be the night”.
The other man cut a padlock and smashed several windows to gain entry to the building, then pulled down the security systems before unsuccessfully trying to remove the safe from the wall.
Warwick District Court was told it was only weeks later that Dyball and a different co-accused went to the home of a person he was sourcing meth from as part of a drug trafficking ring at the time, with Dyball waiting until the other person left before going inside and stealing the $15,000.
Dyball pleaded guilty to break and enter premises, wilful damage, burglary, and stealing.
He was sentenced to three years’ jail to be served alongside his existing term, with eligibility for parole from June 7.
Raymond George Alldridge
Serial Rose City thief gets jail time
Repeat Warwick offender Raymond George Alldridge was brought before the courts yet again after flouting his ban from Rose City Shoppingworld to go on a stealing spree.
The 45-year-old targeted Big W, the Reject Shop, and Woolworths to take items worth hundreds of dollars from the major retailers.
Police prosecutor Ken Wiggan told Warwick Magistrates Court that Alldridge had an extensive history of similar offending and argued a jail sentence was a necessary punishment.
Alldridge pleaded guilty to three counts of stealing, two counts of trespass, and an unrelated drug charge.
He was sentenced to jail for two months with immediate release on parole.
Wayne Christopher McAuley
Brazen post office break-in earns Warwick man jail time
Wayne Christopher McAuley smashed his way into the Warwick post office in February last year, causing almost $1500 in damages and pocketing stolen items worth close to three times that amount.
The then-38-year-old stuffed 31 new mobile phones and other electronic goods such as AirPods into his bag, totalling $6191, before making a hasty getaway.
Warwick Magistrates Court was told the bumbling thief’s hurried escape proved his own undoing when police found a bag containing ID belonging to McAuley in an alcove behind the post office.
The Warwick man pleaded guilty to entering premises to commit an indictable offence.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ jail with immediate parole and ordered to pay $2000 of the total $7649 owed in restitution.
Man fronts court over two-year string of burglaries
A Warwick man narrowly avoided jail after a string of drug-fuelled burglaries and domestic violence offences across southern Queensland.
The then-37-year-old’s crime spree began when he smashed through glass and screen doors to force his way into a woman’s Bentley Park home in October, 2018, stealing jewellery worth approximately $1000.
Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa told Warwick Magistrates Court the man, who was not named due to unrelated domestic violence offences, was soon tracked down by police and claimed he was a heavy drug user who wanted the profits to feed his habit.
The man ramped up his next burglary effort, with an Edmonton resident arriving home in February, 2019 to find their home ransacked and a camera, mobile phone, gold wedding ring, and alcohol worth about $4400 in total missing.
He again told police he wanted to use the money to support his ice addiction.
The Warwick man pleaded guilty to two counts each of entering a dwelling to commit an indictable offence and contravening a domestic violence order.
He was sentenced to 15 and a half months’ jail with immediate release on parole.
Corey John Coombes
Bizarre theft and crime spree earns man jail sentence
Corey John Coombes only narrowly avoided spending time behind bars after a string of bizarre petty crimes.
The then-31-year-old stole feminine hygiene products from Warwick Priceline by hiding them beneath other items when visiting the store in June last year.
Warwick Magistrates Court heard Coombes stolen artificial grass from a Gatton property and fled on foot from officers trying to approach him within the same week.
Coombes pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing and one each of obstructing police, possessing an item connected to a crime, and failing to appear among other unrelated charges.
He was sentenced to two months’ jail with immediate release on parole, fined $1516, and ordered to pay an additional $407.15 in restitution.
NO CONVICTION RECORDED
Teenager threatens elderly man with knife
A teenager who broke into an elderly Warwick man’s home and threatened him with a knife was forced to face court after a botched escape attempt led police straight to his door.
The now-16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, entered the 68-year-old man’s Warwick property through the back door and approached him from behind until he was standing over the victim.
Crown prosecutor Bernard Berger told Warwick District Court the teenager was holding a large kitchen knife towards the older man and told him, “I’m here to rob you”, then reached across him to pick up a tin of tobacco from the table and put it in his backpack.
The elderly victim then fought back and hit the boy in the chest, causing him to fall backwards and drop his belongings before fleeing the property on foot, dropping his hood in his haste and allowed the other man to recognise him.
The boy pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary while armed with violence and attempted stealing.
He was placed on probation for 12 months and no conviction was recorded.
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