Townsville man David Douglas Deshong sentenced for unlawful use of vehicle

A Townsville father-of-two gave police an odd excuse when he was caught running from a stolen car — but it didn’t take them long to find out the truth.

David Douglas Deshong was captured on CCTV fleeing an abandoned stolen vehicle. Picture: Supplied.

A Townsville car thief claimed he had no idea he was in a stolen car despite making a run for it when police arrived, a court has heard.

Father-of-two David Douglas Deshong, 35, was sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a vehicle.

The court heard on June 17 this year Deshong had been trying to get home after a night drinking when friends pulled up in a stolen Proton and asked if he needed a lift.

Defence lawyer Nico Rump said it was only after Deshong got in the vehicle that he realised “pretty quick” that it had been stolen.

While it was travelling along Riverway Drive at 1.50am, Queensland police deployed a tyre deflation device, which successfully immobilised the car.

Deshong and two other men were captured by a resident’s CCTV fleeing from the stolen vehicle.

After identifying him from the footage, police prosecutor Nathan Smith said officers confronted him.

“He initially ran from police for unknown reasons … (before) providing an inconsistent version according to the CCTV available, where he was ‘just walking around’,” Mr Smith said.

Pointing to Deshong’s eight page criminal history, Mr Smith said this offending was aggravated by being committed on parole.

In this circumstance, he said a six-month term of imprisonment was necessary, cumulative on Deshong’s existing sentence.

Mr Rump agreed a term of imprisonment was appropriate, given the type of offending while on parole, but believed it should be wholly suspended.

“(He is) certainly disappointed in himself that he ended up back in trouble so soon after having been released on parole for four months,” Mr Rump said.

Deshong was on a mental health plan and hoped to find work as a removalist.

Magistrate Ken Taylor told Deshong it was important to impose a punishment that would deter people from committing these sorts of crimes, and to protect the community from his actions.

“(Given that) being on parole, imprisonment hasn’t deterred you from offending again, it’s my view that a period of imprisonment is appropriate,” he said.

Allowing for 80 days served in pre-sentence custody, he sentenced Deshong to three additional months imprisonment, with an October 29 parole eligibility date.

A conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Townsville man David Douglas Deshong sentenced for unlawful use of vehicle