Toowoomba man guilty of pub assault, bizarre break in, drug drive crime

A man in custody on rape charges has pleaded guilty to bizarre and concerning crimes, including a public attack outside a Toowoomba pub where threatened to kill a man while wearing a dress.

Frank William McGrath pleaded guilty bizarre and concerning crimes, including a public attack outside a Toowoomba pub where threatened to kill a man for sleeping with his former partner while wearing a dress. Picture: File and iStock/Getty

A former abattoir worker in custody on rape charges has pleaded guilty to three bizarre, concerning, and unrelated crimes.

The Toowoomba man, Frank William McGrath, was arrested in January on two charges of rape, which he remains in custody for on remand.

The court heard when police took up with the 55-year-old about the alleged sex crime in January, they also questioned him in regards to three unrelated crimes, one of which was a break-in that occurred in September 2023.

Police prosecutor Chris Willson said McGrath was caught on CCTV cutting a lock at the Toowoomba Exhaust Centre at Wilsonton, before he stole four wheels off a LandCruiser and replaced them with other tyres.

Senior Constable Willson said McGrath told police he had a property dispute with the owner of the car and believed the wheels were rightfully his.

The next crime the born and raised Blackall man was caught on CCTV committing occurred outside the National Hotel at 7.30am in November 2024.

The assault occurred outside the National Hotel in the Toowoomba CBD.

Senior Constable Wilson said McGrath donned a dress while he punched the glass doors of the pub, yelling at a man that he was going to kill the man for sleeping with his ex-wife.

When the victim left for work, McGrath continuously grabbed at and pushed the man, however failed to land a punch.

A number of people called police, saying there was a man in a dress yelling and screaming in the street, with police attending the scene before releasing an arrest warrant for McGrath because he had no fixed address at the time.

In January this year, Senior Constable Willson said McGrath told officers he went to the hotel in a dress to “b---- slap,” the man.

The third crime McGrath pleaded guilty to was driving under the influence of meth, as concerned members of the public finding him unresponsive and slumped over the wheel of his car.

The car came to rest on a traffic island in Drayton in the middle of a December afternoon in 2024.

The court heard police found meth in the car along with a glass pipe.

Senior Constable Willson said McGrath had a history of domestic violence offences, stealing, trespass, bail breaches, and failing to show up to court.

McGrath was sentenced to a nine-month jail term after pleading guilty to common assault, breaking into a home with the intent to commit a crime, wilful damage, trespassing, stealing, driving under the influence of drugs, possessing drugs and possessing drug utensils.
The 128 days he spent in custody since January were declared as time served so he was granted immediate release on parole.

However, the court was told McGrath would remain in custody on two rape charges.