River Jai Mcanulty: Mudgeeraba pharmacy break-in ends with jail time

A man who lawyers say has “an issue with respecting people’s property” has been hit with extra time in custody after he broke into a Mudgeeraba pharmacy. Read what happened in court.

River Jai Mcanulty pleaded guilty at the Southport Magistrates Court to four charges including entering premises and committing an indictable offence by break. Picture: Facebook

A man who broke into a Mudgeeraba pharmacy has been hit with additional time in custody.

River Jai Mcanulty, 29, appeared via videolink in the Southport Magistrates Court on Friday, July 11 and pleaded guilty to four charges including two counts of receiving tainted property, one count of wilful damage and entering premises and committing an indictable offence by break.

The court heard Mcanulty damaged a glass door, broke into the Medicines Plus Bell Central pharmacy in Mudgeeraba and stole pharmaceutical medication on April 4, 2025.

Between April 3-4, Mcanulty also received tainted property – namely Queensland registration plates – at Southport and Mermaid Waters.

Prosecutor Rodney Keyte submitted to the court Mcanulty’s seven page criminal history which included similar offences.

“This defendant clearly has got an issue with respecting people’s property and understanding that he is not just allowed to go in wherever he wants,” Mr Keyte said.

Mcanulty’s defence lawyer, Nikita Harris from Howden Saggers Lawyers, told the court her client’s early years were punctuated by instability, trauma and negative influences which led to mental health struggles, drug addiction and criminality.

The court heard Mcanulty turned to drugs after a traumatic event in primary school and eventually developed a problem with prescription medication.

Ms Harris told the court Mcanulty had spent a large portion of the last few years in custody and incarceration was not doing anything for his rehabilitation.

The court heard Mcanulty had overdosed shortly after the offences.

Ms Harris said he was someone in desperate need of help and incarceration didn’t help with his addiction.

Magistrate Jane Bentley said incarceration did protect the community from Mcanulty’s offending.

Ms Harris said Mcanulty was keen to engage with a psychologist upon release and has plans on getting his life back on track and hopefully one day having full custody of his daughter.

She said Mcanulty understood his behaviour was unfair on his child and said he was going to do everything he can to make it up to her upon his eventual release.

The court heard Mcanulty had been on parole at the time of the offences but had been held on remand in custody for 98 days.

His parole had not been suspended or cancelled.

Ms Bentley noted Mcanulty’s work history and said he had a prospects for the future if he could stop taking drugs.

She took into account the serious nature of the offending and said the only appropriate penalty was imprisonment.

Mcanulty was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with his time in custody counted as time served.

His parole eligibility date is set for August 3, 2025.