Dylan John Werner sentenced in Warwick District Court for seven offences including robbery in company

An abattoir worker’s wild night on the drink started heading south when he was kicked out of pub for fighting, but it took a sinister turn when he forced his way into an elderly man’s house and pinned him against the wall.

It was shortly after midnight on May 2, 2022, when a 76-year-old man woke to the sound of someone in his home.

He got up to inspect the commotion and was confronted by Dylan John Werner.

The 29-year-old abattoir worker had snuck into the elderly man’s Stanthorpe home through an unlocked door and had stolen a packet of cigarettes, but was not content.

With one arm Werner pinned the elderly victim against a wall and with the other arm he removed the man’s wallet and stole a few hundred dollars in cash.

Werner shoved the man to the ground and fled with his phone, the cash and the keys to his mobility scooter.

Meanwhile, the victim was left alone and without a phone, so he was not able to call the police until his carer arrived later that day.

Dylan John Werner was sentenced to three years jail with immediate parole for leading a terrifying robbery in the early hours of May 2, 2022.

On Monday, Werner fronted Warwick District Court to plead guilty to seven offences that arose from that wild night, including robbery in company with violence.

The court was told that Werner’s violent evening started with getting kicked out of the Stanthorpe Hotel after fighting with two patrons and breaking a window.

He later met up with two juveniles and together they attempted to enter a parked utility and stole fishing gear that was left in the tray.

Crown prosecutor Tegan Little told the court Werner and the teens then entered the elderly man’s home and robbed him.

“Werner was the principal offender and the person who inflicted the violence on the complainant,” she said.

“The complainant, luckily, did not suffer serious injuries.”

Acting for the defence, barrister Jessica Goldie said her client had co-operated with the police from the moment of his arrest and was genuinely remorseful.

She added that the offending was not premeditated and that Werner had taken significant steps to address his issues with substance abuse, including completing a drug rehabilitation program and abstaining from drug and alcohol.

Judge Dennis Lynch KC accepted that Werner had made efforts to turn his life around and noted that while the offending warranted jail time he was concerned serving time in prison would derail the progress Werner had already made.

This included jeopardising his employment at the John Dee abattoir.

After pleading guilty, Werner was sentenced to three years in jail with immediate parole.

“If you engage in this behaviour again, you are not like to get the sympathetic ear you have got today,” Judge Lynch said.

Originally published as Dylan John Werner sentenced in Warwick District Court for seven offences including robbery in company