Brady Morris Rollings pleads guilty to stealing hundreds of tools from tradespeople across Toowoomba

A tool thief that preyed on Toowoomba tradies and stole more than $80,000 of equipment was busted with an Aladdin’s cave of stolen booty stashed in the roof of his house and storage containers.

A serial tool thief who targeted tradies and was caught with an Aladdin’s cave of stolen items during a police raid has been jailed.

Between February and September this year, Brady Morris Rollings committed more than 30 offences, including three charges of enter premises and commit an indictable offence and more than 20 stealing charges.

On Monday the 28-year-old appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to the raft of property offences.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Julia Wheaton told the court during Rollings’ months long crime spree he would cycle around Toowoomba suburbs to scout potential tradespeople to target, before returning with a vehicle later in the night to commit the robberies.

Police seized hundreds of stolen tools after raids on two Harristown properties and tradies who have had gear stolen are still being urged to contact the Toowoomba Police Station.

Describing Rollings’ actions as “significant level of offending”, Senior Constable Wheaton said police estimate more than 300 items were reported stolen, with a potential value of more than $80,000.

Police investigations into a theft from the back of a ute ultimately resulted in search warrants being executed at a property in Harristown, where “close to 200” items were located throughout the house and concealed in the roof, and a second search warrant at a storage container revealed further stolen items.

“Of the 300 items that had been reported stolen when police executed the search warrant they were able to recover and return 106 of those items, and there was a further 75 that police have simply been unable to identify where those items have come from,” Senior Constable Wheaton said.

“When the officers tallied up the amount of outstanding items, and this is a conservative estimate, the total loss in terms of quantity is $54,201 … the total amount is probably $80,000.”

Brady Morris Rollings, 28, has been jailed after pleading guilty to a raft of property offences committed during a months-long crime spree across Toowoomba.

Senior Constable Wheaton said many of the victims were tradespeople that relied on their tools for their livelihood, and the thefts deprived them of their means to earn a living.

Rollings’ solicitor Craig Van Der Hoven said his client, a father of three, went into a “downward spiral” after he lost his job shortly after moving to Toowoomba with his family from NSW in 2020.

Mr Van Der Hoven said Rollings assisted police in identifying stolen property during the search warrants and provided information on where he stole them from to assist in returning the items to their owners.

“This offending can adequately be characterised as offending that has arisen as a result of a deep drug connection,” Mr Van Der Hoven said.

“His car was repossessed at the start of this year, and given the nature of his employment he lost his job and from that he fell into drug use.

“(Rollings) was unable to support his family which then in turn led to him stealing property to support his family.”

Magistrate Roger Stark sentenced Rollings to two years and nine months behind bars, and set a parole release date of September 16, 2022.