Alleged Cannonvale shopping centre armed robber Neil Wallace Anderson faces court

A repeat offender has been sentenced after adding another entry to his ‘appalling’ traffic history. Read what the court decided.

A Whitsunday man on remand for an alleged shopping centre armed robbery has been jailed for his 10 disqualified driving incident – the reason, to buy cigarettes to cope with stress.

Roofer Neil Wallace Anderson, 35, drove with a disqualified licence while visiting family in Brisbane in June in what was the latest traffic offence in a lengthy history.

Proserpine Magistrates Court heard Anderson was on a suspended sentence when police intercepted him driving a car registered to an elderly woman on Crocus St, Inala about noon on June 18.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors told the court Anderson had a total of 10 disqualifications in the previous five years, and was not eligible to apply for a new licence until February 2023.

Father-of-three Neil Wallace Anderson pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified (repeat offender), obstruct police, and failure to appear. Picture: Facebook

Defence lawyer Elizabeth Smith said Anderson drove to get cigarettes because he was stressed about his father suffering a stroke and being taken to hospital via ambulance earlier that day.

Ms Smith said struggles with drug addiction had led to “significant issues” for her client, and that he had been in custody since his arrest at Whitsunday Plaza on August 1 on an armed robbery charge.

Police allege Anderson aimed a compound bow into the busy Cannonvale shopping centre after the woman he was with was caught stealing perfume.

Anderson did not enter a plea for the armed robbery charge but pleaded guilty to obstructing police at Cannonvale on July 1 – which Ms Smith described as “very low level” offending – and failure to appear at Proserpine Magistrates Court on July 26 – which Ms Smith said was a result of Anderson forgetting the date he was supposed to attend court.

Magistrate James Morton said Anderson’s history indicated he had “lived a life full of crime” and had not taken any notice of any suspended sentences that had been imposed on him.

Mr Morton activated the previous 15-month suspended sentence and disqualified Anderson’s licence for three years, telling him, “Your traffic history is nothing short of appalling for someone your age”.

He declared Anderson had already served 99 days in custody and gave him a parole release date of January 1, 2022, but said he would not be released on that date as he would still be in custody on the robbery charge, which was set down for a committal mention on January 10.