Cameron Cunningham: Young thug jailed for Deception Bay burglary

A man who participated in a violent three-on-one bashing and robbery north of Brisbane was fitted with a GPS tracking device, leaving ‘no doubt’ he was involved, a court has heard.

A young Brisbane man’s participation in a late-night home invasion and three-on-one bashing was revealed by the fact he was on parole and wearing a GPS ankle tracker, a court has heard.

South Brisbane man Cameron Lawrence Cunningham, 21, a former resident of the Redcliffe peninsula, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Wednesday to burglary and robbery in company with personal violence.

The court heard both offences occurred at an address in Deception Bay on July 7 last year and involved two co-accuseds, one of whom was the spurned ex-girlfriend of the male victim.

The trio gained access to the house via a key which the ex-girlfriend had stolen from her former partner.

The man was woken up by the three home invaders standing over him and immediately recognised his ex-girlfriend and the male co-accused, but not Cunningham, who was unknown to him and wearing a black ski mask.

However, there was “no doubt” Cunningham was the third person, Judge Richard Jones told the court, because he was wearing a GPS tracking device at the time due to his parole conditions.

Cameron Lawrence Cunningham, 21. Picture: Facebook

The male co-accused punched the victim several times, before he was knocked to the floor by Cunningham.

The ex-girlfriend stopped the attack by announcing, “That’s enough”, before the trio decamped with the victim’s spare car keys, wallet, watch and a pouch of tobacco.

Cunningham was arrested on August 13 last year and has spent the intervening period, a total of 335 days, remanded in pre-sentence custody.

The court heard the home invasion was masterminded by the victim’s ex-girlfriend, with whom there was a dispute with her former boyfriend involving a vehicle.

Cunningham’s participation in the home invasion, Judge Jones told the court, “would appear to be motivated in some bizarre way as acting in revenge for what the (victim) had done with the (ex-girlfriend’s) motor vehicle”.

Judge Jones described the home invasion as a “violent and disgraceful intrusion into this man’s life”.

The court heard Cunningham was a recidivist, drug-addicted offender, whose “appalling” criminal history was littered with drug and property-type offending.

It was submitted on Cunningham’s behalf this was driven by his coming from a broken, dysfunctional home.

Cunningham was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with immediate parole eligibility.

Charges relating to Cunningham’s co-accuseds, a 33-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man, both from East Brisbane, are still before the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

In addition to charges of burglary and robbery in company with personal violence, they have both been charged with possessing dangerous drugs, possessing a drug utensil, and possessing property suspected of being used in the commission of a drug offence.