Robert Andrew Pons jailed after robbing 96yo, using stolen credit cards

A drug addict ‘using his father’s death shamelessly’ to excuse his behaviour stole a valuable coin collection from a couple in their 90s during his fraud and property crime spree.

Stealing a treasured coin collection stolen from an elderly Mackay couple during a break-in had Robert Andrew Pons staring down the barrel of jail time.

And Magistrate Damien Dwyer was happy to pull the trigger, saying Pons was “not a man of good character”.

Pons used a back door to enter the house of the couple, both aged 96, on November 4 last year to rummage through multiple drawers and cabinets until he found a coin collection worth about $2000 and an iPad.

It was “most serious” offending, Mr Dwyer said.

Pons, who was labelled a “regular” in the region’s police cells, found himself again fronting the courts on a range of offences.

He pleaded guilty to 15 different charges, including fraud to dishonestly gain benefit, fraud in a dishonest application of property, possessing tainted property, entering premises to commit indictable offences, entering a dwelling to commit indictable offence, burglary and contravening a community service order.

Mr Dwyer said the offending matched Pons’ history, having spent almost eight years in jail for previous offences until July 9, 2012.

“He is not a man of good character,” he said.

“He’s come back with a vengeance.

“He consistently and persistently is coming back to court.”

Appearing via videolink, Pons said the death of his father in May 2021 sent him into a downward spiral where he began using methylamphetamines as a coping mechanism.

Mr Dwyer said he did not believe Pons’ father’s death had anything to do with his reoffending.

Rather, that Pons had used it as an excuse.

“He’s using his father’s death shamelessly,” he said.

Pons stole credit cards and possessions out of cars and homes from April to October 2021, using the cards to buy hundreds of dollars worth of items.

“There was not a lot of need in it, there was an awful lot of greed in what you were buying,” Mr Dwyer said.

“Coca Cola, dagwood dogs, kabana, tobacco, sardines and tomato sauce, ice creams, Tally Ho papers, more tobacco, crosswords, scratchy tickets, rum, not things you were in need of.”

Pons was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail, with parole after six months served.

Because of 83 days already spent in custody, Pons will be released on parole on May 4.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Robert Andrew Pons jailed after robbing 96yo, using stolen credit cards