Aaron Loveridge pleads guilty to stealing guns, cars from Warwick

A man who caused a woman to fall from a balcony during a drug debt home invasion has admitted to a slew of other crimes including stealing firearms from a property and cars from a dealership.

Aaron Joel Loveridge faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court from custody on Monday.

A Currimundi man who previously caused a woman to fall from her balcony after a failed drug debt burglary has admitted to a slew of other offences.

Aaron Joel Loveridge confessed to the additional crimes from custody on Monday while serving a five-year jail term for a violent home invasion at Caloundra on August 5, 2023.

During his sentence for grievous bodily harm, burglary, possessing a shortened firearm and unlawful use of a motor vehicle last year, which he pleaded guilty to, the Maroochydore District Court was previously told Loveridge and a friend went to the home for a man’s drug debt.

The man’s female roommate, frightened for her life, tried to flee the gun-toting man and jumped from her balcony.

She landed five metres below on the concrete and badly damaged her feet.

Judge Gary Long jailed Loveridge for five years, with a parole eligibility date set at February 5 this year.

During the 31-year-old’s appearance in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday, Loveridge’s guilty pleas to 30 other charges were confirmed, which included multiple counts of burglary, unlawful use and evasion.

The court was told among Loveridge’s crimes, police claimed he committed several fuel drive-offs, stole cars and broke into other residences and businesses.

Some of these break-ins included Loveridge stealing 19 firearms from an address and two cars from a car dealership in Warwick.

The combined amount of the cars stolen was more than $50,000. Only one was recovered.

Loveridge pleaded guilty to all charges.

Police further claimed Loveridge assaulted and obstructed watch-house police during an arrest and ran from officers during an arrest.

Police prosecutor Mark Burrell pushed for the 31-year-old’s matters to be dealt with in the district court to allow for a suitable punishment, as the magistrates court jurisdiction could only dish out a maximum of three years’ imprisonment.

Sergeant Burrell believed Loveridge was not receiving enough punishment for the offences before the court on Monday.

Defence lawyer Ben Rynderman, however, claimed magistrate Rod Madsen would only need to extend Loveridge’s parole eligibility date from his higher court sentence, which was February 5 this year.

Mr Rynderman said Loveridge had already spent 526 days in custody since his arrest for the home invasion, and the extension of this parole eligibility date with a three-year jail term would be adequate.

Mr Madsen agreed, citing the amount of time it would take for the district court to finalise the matters.

In reading the 31-year-old’s previous sentence, Mr Madsen said Loveridge’s crimes were linked to his abuse of drugs. The magistrate also stated Loveridge’s vehicle theft victims suffered a “significant loss”.

“I just can’t imagine how the victims might have felt,” he said.

Loveridge was given a head sentence of three years’ jail, with his parole eligibility date extended to June 6.

Originally published as Aaron Loveridge pleads guilty to stealing guns, cars from Warwick