David John Allston has faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court where he was jailed after pleading guilty to 58 offences

A 29-year-old who has battled a drug addiction since he was 10 has faced court after he went on a spending spree with two tainted credit cards, racking up more than $3000 in fraudulent transactions.

A Toowoomba man who went on a spending spree with tainted credit cards, racking up more than $3000 in fraudulent transactions, has been jailed.

David John Allston appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court via video link from Borallon Correctional Centre on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to 58 offences, including 26 counts of fraud, receiving tainted property, stealing, possessing dangerous drugs, driving without a licence and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The court was told the 29-year-old’s most recent offending dated back to August 18, 2021, where he was caught on Glenvale Road driving on a disqualified licence with a relevant drug in his saliva.

In September Allston received a mobile phone suspected of being tainted property that he then used to dishonestly obtain money from using the banking app on the phone, police prosecutor Sergeant Natalie Bugden said.

Then in December Sergeant Bugden said Allston received a wallet and bank cards that didn’t belong to him, but proceeded to use the bank cards 13 times.

Allston’s crime spree continued when on January 20, 2022 he was found in possession of a homemade taser, then on February 15 he stole groceries from Coles.

Sergeant Bugden told the court that between March 5 and 8 Allston then stole a Visa credit card, and went on to use the card to make 23 fraudulent transactions.

The court was told Allston, who was on a suspended sentence and a period of parole at the time, was stopped by police on July 6 driving while disqualified with a relevant drug in his system and in possession of methylamphetamine.

Allston’s solicitor Sarah Campbell said her client was born in Rockhampton but had lived in Toowoomba since he was 17 where he was raised by his mother.

A drug addict since his first interaction at the age of 10, Ms Campbell said her client’s actions were an example of a “recidivist offender” that had a long history of dishonesty offences as a result of his addiction.

Previously employed as a butcher, Ms Campbell said Allston had been unemployed since 2020 but had plans to live with his sister in Brisbane upon his release to get away from the temptation of drugs and associates in Toowoomba.

Describing Allston as “not a suitable candidate for probation”, magistrate Kay Philipson said his fraud offending amounted to a “significant figure”.

Declaring 49 days of pre-sentence custody as time served, Allston was sentenced to nine months jail with immediate parole eligibility. He was also disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 15 months.

Originally published as David John Allston has faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court where he was jailed after pleading guilty to 58 offences