Leon Jessy Leigh Stretton charged with violent armed robbery

A Qld man accused of robbing two sex workers while armed with a gun and a knife was back in court for further alleged violent robberies.

Leon Jessy Leigh Stretton is facing new robbery charges over an incident in late 2024.

A Whitsunday man accused of robbing two Mackay sex workers while armed with a gun and a knife has been told not to even bother trying to apply for bail after he was back in court for further alleged violent robberies.

Leon Jessy Leigh Stretton is facing two new counts of robbery with actual violence, armed/in company, wounded, used personal violence.

The accusations include that he was armed with a dangerous weapon and that he wounded one of the alleged victims.

His matters were recently briefly mentioned in Mackay Magistrates Court, which heard Mr Stretton had other matters before the court.

Police allege he had made two separate appointments with sex workers about 15 hours apart on the same day in September 2023, pulling a gun on one woman before taking cards and cash from her and then pulling a knife on the second woman and fleeing with money.

Police further allege he had been on bail when he allegedly committed these violent robberies in late November 2024.

Leon Jessy Leigh Stretton is facing new robbery charges over an incident in late 2024.

Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said she was going to cancel the bail Mr Stretton, who was represented by ATSILS solicitor Dan Lane, was currently on.

“You have absolutely no prospects of bail and I’ve told Mr Lane this,” she told him as he appeared via videolink from Mackay watch house.

“I wouldn’t normally say this but I’m absolutely so sure you have no prospects of bail at all, so you’d be wasting the court’s time, Mr Lane’s time, prosecution’s time. There’s no way I would give you bail.”

Ms Hartigan told Mr Stretton if he wanted bail he would have to take it to the supreme court.

Mr Stretton claimed over the videolink he had been “trying to do the right thing” and “didn’t do anything wrong” before Mr Lane warned him not to say anything else.

His other bail was revoked and the file was marked indicating no new application had been made.

Mr Stretton was remanded in custody and matters were adjourned to late January 2025 for mention.

Originally published as Leon Jessy Leigh Stretton charged with violent armed robbery