John Graham Fraser stole a laptop while on a suspended sentence for robbery

The 37-year-old had tried hard to stay clean but had lapsed and took the laptop which breached his suspended sentence, his solicitor said.

John Graham Fraser was recommitted to the Toowoomba District Court for breaching a two-year suspended jail sentence.

Stealing a backpack containing a laptop and committing two fuel drive-offs might not normally appear serious offending but when the offender is subject to a two-year jail term, it’s a little more serious.

Murphys Creek man John Graham Fraser, 37, was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for three years, after he pleaded guilty before Toowoomba District Court to the armed robbery of a Toowoomba bottle shop on Christmas Eve 2019.

He was subject to that order when he opportunistically stole a backpack containing the owner’s passport, some Columbian currency and a laptop from a Ruthven St business on September 26, 2021.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Jacquelyn Miller told Toowoomba Magistrates Court the victim had placed his backpack in a locker at the start of his shift and returned to find it missing.

However, CCTV footage showed Fraser walking out of the building about 4pm that day with the backpack over his shoulder, she said.

Police later found the laptop had been pawned at a Hume St second-hand shop for $300, Sgt Miller said.

Defence solicitor Ryan McCullough, of MacDonald Law, said his client had used the toilet in that building and had gone looking for paper towels when he opened the locker and saw the backpack.

Mr McCullough said his client was “extremely remorseful” particularly given how hard he’d tried to stay on the straight and narrow since being sentenced in 2019.

Fraser pleaded guilty to stealing arising from that incident as well as to driving off from service stations on September 30 and October 19 without paying bills of $70.93 and $87.62 respectively.

Magistrate Howard Osborne placed Fraser on nine months probation, ordered he pay restitution of $458.55 and recommitted him back to the District Court on the breach of suspended sentence.

Originally published as John Graham Fraser stole a laptop while on a suspended sentence for robbery