Luke Duncan sentenced at Gladstone for crimes committed 24 years ago

The long arm of the law has caught up with a tattoo artist who committed more than 60 historical crimes 24 years ago while he was a drug addict.

Luke James Duncan was sentenced in Gladstone Magistrates Court on February 28.

A tattoo artist who has transformed his life has been sentenced for historical crimes he committed more than 20 years ago while he and his then partner were heroin addicts.

Luke James Duncan, 45, was originally facing 100 charges including numerous counts of break and enter, stealing and fraud.

However, in Gladstone Magistrates Court on February 28, police prosecution offered no evidence on more than 30 charges and they were subsequently dropped.

Duncan then pleaded guilty to more than 60 offences which included many counts of break and enter, stealing and fraud.

A 49-page sentencing schedule was tendered to Magistrate Mary Buchanan.

The court heard the offences were committed over a four-month period in 2000, in the Bardon and Toowong areas, and Duncan’s then partner was a co-defendant in “most” of them.

The court was told the pair entered numerous homes and stole household and personal items including stereo systems, CDs, binoculars, sunglasses, shoes, watches, bracelets and necklaces among other things - and took them to different pawn shops where the money they received went to funding their heroine addictions.

It was told the co-offender had her matters dealt with in a Brisbane court in 2001, and with no prior history, she was placed on two years’ probation.

Luke James Duncan.

The court heard that Duncan, prior to committing these 2000 offences, had served time in jail for similar offending.

He also spent 72 days’ in pre-sentence custody for these offences but then avoided having them dealt with for the next 24 years.

Fast forward to 2024, and Duncan’s Queensland criminal and traffic histories were both contained to one page, and his New South Wales criminal and traffic histories were each four pages long.

Solicitor Jordan Ahlstrand said Duncan came from “a very good family” and he was supported in court by his mother.

Mr Ahlstrand said after Duncan was released from pre-sentence custody, he spent six months in a Queensland drug rehabilitation facility as a condition of his bail.

“He successfully completed that rehabilitation,” Mr Ahlstrand said.

The solicitor said Duncan then started working for a carpentry business but in 2012 he suffered a spinal injury and had to change his vocation.

Mr Ahlstrand said Duncan was now self-employed as a tattoo artist in Gladstone, having moved to the town in March 2023.

He said since these offences were committed, Duncan had significantly transformed his life, and he was now a father of four and gainfully employed.

Prior to sentencing, Magistrate Buchanan said there was “no doubt” in her mind that Duncan had rehabilitated and he was “a very different man now” having not offended in any way for the past 23-and-a-half years.

She sentenced him to 12 months’ jail suspended for 12 months, and declared 72 days’ pre-sentence custody as time already served.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Luke Duncan sentenced at Gladstone for crimes committed 24 years ago