Tiahleigh’s foster brother Trent Thorburn faces new legal battle after being charged with burglary

Weeks after giving evidence into the death of his 12-year-old foster sister, Trent Thorburn is facing a new legal battle.

Trent Thorburn leaves the Magistrates Court in Brisbane after giving evidence in a two-day inquest into the death of his foster sister Tiahleigh Palmer. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The foster brother of murdered schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer has been charged with burglary after he allegedly broke into a camping store with two teenage boys, making off with a swag of outdoor gear.

Weeks after giving evidence at an inquest into the death of his 12-year-old foster sister, Trent Thorburn, 24, is facing a new legal battle.

Police will allege Trent and two 17-year-old boys drove to a camping business at Parkinson, in Brisbane’s south, in a white Nissan Patrol about 8pm on June 25.

It is alleged they slid under the main gates of the 4WD Supacentre and loaded tents, a swag and gazebo into the Patrol.

Trent Thorburn was sentenced to four years’ jail after pleading guilty to incest, attempting to pervert the course of justice and two counts of perjury. Picture: Supplied

Two other cars allegedly pulled up to the shop and police investigations into those vehicles continue.

The two teenagers were dealt with under the Youth Justice Act and Trent was charged with enter premises to commit an indictable offence.

He will appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court later this month.

Tiahleigh’s body was found by a fisherman on November 5, 2015, on the bank of the Pimpama River.

Trent’s father, Rick Thorburn, was convicted of her murder.

Last month an inquest was told Thorburn’s motive for killing Tiahleigh had been to protect his son, after learning Trent had sexually abused Tiahleigh and feared she was pregnant.

Trent told the inquest he believed his father killed Tiahleigh to prevent him going to jail.

Tiahleigh was reported missing on October 30, 2015, from the Chambers Flat home where she had been living with foster carers Rick and Julene Thorburn and their sons Joshua and Trent. Picture: Supplied

In June Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley found that Thorburn most likely choked or smothered Tiahleigh and rejected his claims that he had killed her by accident.

In 2017, Trent was sentenced to four years’ jail, suspended for five years, after pleading guilty to incest, attempting to pervert the course of justice and two counts of perjury.

He was released in 2018, after serving 16 months.

If convicted of the burglary, Trent could be ordered to serve the remainder of his suspended sentence.

Under Section 147 of the Penalty and Sentences Act, offenders can be ordered to serve all, part or none of the remaining sentence.

The Act states that in deciding whether an offender will serve the whole of the suspended imprisonment, the court must have regard to a range of factors including the nature of the offence, rehabilitation efforts and the seriousness of the original offence.