Frank Dwayne George, 19, jailed for burglaries, stolen cars

A young car thief whose co-offenders drove stolen cars in a convoy on the highway pried open an elderly woman’s screen door, rummaged through her house and stole her phone out of her hands, a court heard.

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A young car thief whose co-offenders drove stolen cars in a convoy on the highway pried open an elderly woman’s screen door, rummaged through her house and stole her phone out of her hands, a court heard.

Frank Dwayne George, 19, was jailed on his birthday this week for three burglaries and stealing cars from the Capricorn Coast in February and March, along with a burglary at Baralaba in May where an 82-year-old woman’s home was broken into while she was at home at 7.15pm.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Sarah Rowe told Rockhampton Magistrates Court that George, who was allegedly accompanied by a 16-year-old, was the lead offender in the Barabala burglary.

She said George demanded the victim give him her car keys which she refused.

Senior Constable Rowe said he took her phone from her hands, took her purse containing cash and left the house.

She said the victim had asked them to leave once she realised they were inside her house, which she had locked up.

George was part of a group that carried out burglaries and car thefts - including a vehicle belonging to Queensland Health – from Mulambin, Emu Park and Zilzie on March 1 with the stolen cars “driven in convoy on the highway”.

“The community is sick and tired of people coming in to houses and stealing vehicles,” Senior Constable Rowe told the court.

George was found in possession of $1390 suspected to be stolen.

Defence lawyer Ashley Reynolds said George, who was on a NDIS agreement and had ‘high needs’, had no external support at Woorabinda except for a Youth Justice worker.

The court heard George had an intellectual impairment caused by Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and had been cared for by his grandmother until she was bailed to live at Blackwater.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale told George he should, in the next 12 months, work towards “a path that sees you not spending other birthdays in prison”.

George pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance, four burglaries, four unlawful uses of motor vehicles, five breaches of bail, two fail to appear in court, one obstruct police and one of possessing property suspected to be tainted property.

He was sentenced to 18 months prison with 43 days presentence custody declared as time served and parole release on October 1, 2023.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Frank Dwayne George, 19, jailed for burglaries, stolen cars