Tyson Leedie: Morayfield man jailed for Wamuran crime spree

A Morayfield man carried out an outrageous reign of terror in a small fruit-picking town north of Brisbane.

A recidivist Moreton Bay offender who has never had a job carried out an outrageous reign of terror in a small fruit-picking town north of Brisbane, laying siege to a backpackers hostel armed with a pistol and machete, a court has heard.

Morayfield man Tyson Leedie, 22, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Thursday to six serious offences.

They included two counts of armed assault in company with the threat of personal violence, possessing a Category H handgun, burglary, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and wilful damage.

All offences bar the possessing a Category H handgun were committed in Wamuran, known for its vast strawberry fields, on October 28 last year.

Morayfield criminal Tyson Leedie, 22. Picture: Facebook

The court heard Leedie and two of his co-accused who are yet to be dealt with by the courts, travelled to the town in a Range Rover stolen from Virginia, on Brisbane’s northside, the previous month.

When they arrived, Leedie approached a small backpackers hostel with a machete and a co-accused with the pistol.

There were 10 people there at the time and the pair threatened men on the front veranda, demanding cash.

But the men ran inside and locked the door.

Leedie tried to break it down, snapping off the handle and leaving fingerprints on it, the court heard.

The pair, who both had their faces covered, fled when one of the victims attempted to film them on a smart phone.

Leedie then went to a nearby public carpark where he smashed a car window, stealing three pairs of sunglasses and a garage remote.

He was arrested the next day at Morayfield when police uncovered the stolen vehicle, with the pistol still in the centre console.

He has since been in custody.

The court heard Leedie was on parole for less than three weeks when he committed the offences and was also subject to a suspended sentence which had four months and 20 days left to run.

Leedie had a terrible criminal history with over 60 previous convictions, mostly for drug, property and weapons offences, the court heard.

It was submitted on Leedie’s behalf that he had a difficult upbringing and was raised solely by his mother.

But, as the oldest of five children, he had had a high level of responsibility caring for his siblings.

The court heard he left school in Year 9, had no qualifications and had never held down a job, instead falling into a vicious methamphetamine addiction.

Judge Paul Smith was blunt with Leedie.

“Get off the drugs,” he said.

Leedie was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment with parole release set at December 17.