Joshua Patrick Seaward pleads guilty to break-and-enter, driving stolen car

A former Kingaroy man with a “hardworking, Christian background” broke into the same business twice in the span of five hours.

Joshua Patrick Seaward, pictured in April 2024 at the Kingaroy Magistrates Court, pleaded guilty to four charges.

A 27-year-old Kingaroy man’s unique leg tattoo was his downfall after he was caught on camera robbing a local business twice in five hours.

Joshua Patrick Seaward pleaded guilty to two counts of enter premises and commit indictable offence by break, and one count each of driving while licence disqualified and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

The court heard Mr Seaward and a juvenile co-offender were seen driving a ute up to the back of the Kingaroy Car and Dog Wash just before 10pm on June 20, 2024.

Mr Seaward and the co-offender then broke a padlock on a secure storage container on the property, stealing several water pump items worth thousands of dollars.

They returned a few hours later and stole more items.

Police prosecutor Sophie Stewart said the entire incident was captured on video and the defendant was seen on the footage.

“At one point the defendant is seen staring directly at the camera, with half his face covered,” she said.

He was also identified due to a “unique” tattoo on his leg, which was clearly visible in the CCTV footage.

The total price of the goods stolen was about $8,000, however police were able to recover most of the items.

The court heard Mr Seaward had a history of stealing, break-ins and drug offences, and was convicted of breaking into a house in Kingaroy in 2023.

Mr Seaward was also charged with driving a stolen car and driving without a licence.

The court heard police observed a silver Toyota Corolla that was reported stolen pulled in at United in Kingaroy at midnight on June 11, 2024.

When police approached the vehicle, the defendant was in the driver’s seat and had a woman with him who was attempting to fill the car with petrol.

When questioned by police, the defendant said someone gave him the keys to the car, and he was only driving it to fill it up and did not know it was stolen.

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Mr Seaward faced Magistrate Andrew Sinclair in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on Monday, February 10, 2025.

Senior sergeant Sophie Stewart said he refused to tell police who gave him the keys, and he tried to drive off when he saw the police car.

“When he was intercepted by police, he was yelling at the passenger to get back into the vehicle as he was planning to drive off but once police pulled up beside his vehicle, he did not do that,” she said.

Mr Seaward’s lawyer, Jay Rose, said her client had a long term addiction to drugs, starting when he was just 14-years-old, which was directly connected to his offending.

“He was introduced to methamphetamine at the age of 14 and got addicted quickly, by an older 19-year-old injecting him,” she said.

The court heard Mr Seaward was taking active steps to stay sober and stop committing crimes.

Mr Seward’s parents decided to move the family to Caboolture after their son’s re-offending in June so he could “cut all ties with his former associates”.

Ms Rose said her client had a “strong family background of a hardworking Christian family” and a strong support system, which included his parents and his partner of 10 years.

She said the crime was opportunistic and non-violent in nature, and it was “really quite stupid as everyone knows that’s on camera”.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair said Mr Seaward was an example of why dangerous drugs were dangerous.

“You are a good, decent human being all the time when you are not taking drugs,” he said.

Mr Seaward was ordered to pay $500 to the Kingaroy Car and Dog Wash, and sentenced to two years imprisonment, eligible for parole from Monday, February 10.

Originally published as Joshua Patrick Seaward pleads guilty to break-and-enter, driving stolen car