David James Craigen has stealing charges sent up to District Court to link with fraud matters

The 55-year-old former Toowoomba car salesman is accused of taking money from a woman’s account as power of attorney.

A former well-known Toowoomba car salesman charged with stealing has taken his matters straight up to the District Court.

David James Craigen, 55, appeared before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Friday on eight counts of stealing.

His solicitor Matt McCarthy, of Creevey Horrell Lawyers, told the court he was applying to have the stealing charges taken up to the District Court to link up with two fraud matters already before that court.

Mr McCarthy said the stealing and fraud charges were linked.

David James Craigen leaves Toowoomba Courthouse on March 7, 2023.

However, Magistrate Kyna Morice said that she had to decide whether that course would be sanctioned by the court and asked police prosecutor Natalie Bugden to give a brief summary of the allegations.

Sergeant Bugden said the complainant was a woman who at the relevant time had been in hospital with no access to her bank accounts and that Mr Craigen was enduring power of attorney.

Police claimed the woman discovered some unauthorised transactions including one for $40,000 that was transferred from her account to that of another person.

Police alleged Mr Craigen had owed that other person $40,000 from a $50,000 loan, she said.

There had also allegedly been another $40,000 taken from the woman’s account allegedly for Mr Craigen’s legal fees from another matter, Sgt Bugden said.

Mr McCarthy said should his application be successful the stealing charges would go up to the District Court by way of registry committal.

Magistrate Morice granted the application and adjourned the case for mention back in the same court on November 24 by which time it was envisaged the matters would have gone up to the higher court.

Mr Craigen’s bail was enlarged.