Jakob Daniel Fogarty jailed for burglary in which guns, $35,000 cash and vehicle was stolen

The 21-year-old Warwick man with two others broke into a home and stole guns, a vehicle and $35,000 cash. See what the court did with him.

A 21-year-old Warwick man, who with others broke into an East Greenmount home and stole weapons, $35,000 cash and a Toyota Camry that was later torched, has been jailed for four years.

Jakob Daniel Fogarty and two other men, who have since been charged, broke into a shed and caravan on a property in East Greenmount on May 26, 2022, while the property owners were away on holidays, Toowoomba District Court was told.

The intruders broke into the shed and the gun safe inside from which they took three firearms, ammunition and $35,000 in cash, Crown prosecutor Emily Coley told the court.

The trio also stole the keys to a 2007 Toyota Camry which was driven away from the property and set alight in the early hours of the next morning at Hirstglen, she said.

Jakob Daniel Fogarty

Ms Coley said the car was destroyed and the owners only got back $10,000 from the insurers.

Fogarty was on bail for other matters at the time and when he missed reporting to police as part of that bail, police went to his then home where the stolen Commodore the trio had used in the burglary was parked and he was found with keys to the torched Toyota Camry, she said.

Fogarty had co-operated with police to the point he told them where to find the stolen weapons, which were recovered, and police had also found $11,200 of the stolen cash at that place though that was all the money that had been recovered, she said.

Ms Coley told the court Fogarty’s two co-accused had been charged but their matters had yet to be committed to the District Court.

Fogarty appeared in custody to plead guilty to burglary and stealing, break, enter and stealing, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and arson.

His barrister Jessica Goldie told the court Fogarty had left school after year 10 and worked full time as a concreter for four years before losing that job after a falling out with his employer over a pay dispute.

Unemployed, he had fallen into drug use and was eventually kicked out of home and then couch surfed, mixing with other drug users and offenders, she said.

“He seems to do well when he’s got a job,” Ms Goldie submitted.

Upon his release from jail, Fogarty intended moving away from Warwick to North Queensland and look for work, she said.

Judge Paul Smith declared 127 days pre-sentence custody as time already served and sentenced Fogarty to four years in jail but ordered he be eligible to apply for release on parole as of March 9, 2024.