Top 7 times magistrates and judges let offenders have it in Toowoomba courts

From the ‘sickening’ acts of ice traffickers to ‘despicable, deplorable and unacceptable’ DV offences, here are some of the more scathing remarks made in Toowoomba courts.

‘Party over’: Judge blasts pair caught with ‘large’ quantity drugs

It was “party over” for two young people caught in possession of a “large” quantity of drugs, with a judge declaring a convicted ice trafficker had “made a hash” of his young life.

Madison Kate Cook-Long, 24, and Russel Vincent Gimm, 26, both fronted Toowoomba Supreme Court on September 24 where they pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs.

Madison Kate Cook-Long, 24, was spared a conviction for possessing dangerous drugs.

Cook-Long pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA, while Gimm pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled substance without a prescription. The pair were both named on an indictment for possession of methylamphetamine and cannabis.

The court was told that on June 24, 2020 police executed a search warrant on Gimm’s Toowoomba property and found Cook-Long in his bedroom where 23.8g of MDMA was discovered on a bedside table with a set of scales. The search also uncovered 0.6g of methylamphetamine found in a sunglasses case and 96g of cannabis in separate quantities.

Russel Vincent Gimm, 26, was convicted in Toowoomba Supreme Court for possessing dangerous drugs.

“It has been said that a drug such as MDMA is something of a ‘party drug’, but nothing says ‘party over’ like spending weekends working on a community project,” Justice Peter Callaghan.

The judge was particularly scathing of Gimm, declaring he had “made a hash of his young life to date”.

Cook-Long was handed a two year, three month probation order with 120 hours community service. No conviction was recorded.

Gimm was sentenced to 18 months probation, and a conviction was recorded.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

‘Disgusting to say the least’: Drunk pest in court for grabbing gym staff

A drunken pest had to be restrained by staff at a gym after he tried to grab two women a week after he was refused entry at a brothel after he was so drunk he urinated his pants.

Daniel Peter Freund appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on September 27 where he pleaded guilty to being drunk in a public place, causing an unreasonable annoyance, commit public nuisance and obstructing a police officer.

The court was told that at 3.45pm on August 29 this year police were called to a gym on Foundry Street, Toowoomba after the 38-year-old walked in and grabbed at a woman.

The court was told about a week earlier on August 18 police had been called to a brothel in Harlaxton about 8.45pm where Freund had been refused entry.

The court was told police found Freund to be so intoxicated that he had urinated in his pants and had thrown a number of chairs that were stacked outside the business after he was refused entry.

Describing his behaviour as “disgusting to say the least”, magistrate Graham Lee sentenced Freund to 12 months probation, and 48 hours community service. No convictions were recorded.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

‘You were keeping very bad company’: Judge lashes young ice dealer

A Goondiwindi man that treated probation and community service orders “with contempt” by failing to follow the requirements and continue to deal ice was given a dressing down in Toowoomba Supreme Court.

James Lawrence Rountree-Whitmore pleaded guilty to trafficking a dangerous drug, and six charges of supplying a dangerous drug.

James Lawrence Rountree-Whitmore, 21, was convicted of trafficking methylamphetamine in the Goondiwindi region and handed a three year suspended jail sentence, and 200 hours community service.

The court was told the supply offences took place while Rountree-Whitmore was on probation in April 2019, where he sold 3.9g of methylamphetamine and 7g of cannabis to five different people. The trafficking took place over a nine week period between May and July in 2020 while on bail for the supply offences, involving quantities of between 0.1g and 3.5g and described as “street level” transactions multiple times a week.

“You were on bail, and you were given the benefit previously of a probation order and community service order which you really did treat with contempt with the way you behaved,” Justice Peter Callaghan said.

“It’s simply not acceptable.”

In convicting and sentencing Rountree-Whitmore to 200 hours community service, Justice Callaghan said it was a chance to “give something back to the community for the trouble you’ve caused”. Rountree-Whitmore was also handed a three year suspended jail sentence.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

‘Stories, I hear them all the time’: Magistrate slams serial bail breacher

A long list of excuses for why a Toowoomba man couldn’t keep his tracking device charged were “a little far fetched” for one magistrate.

Liam Anthony Mcmanus, 24, appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on September 23 where he pleaded guilty to seven charges of breach of bail dating from September 16 to 21.

The court was told Mcmanus was released on Supreme Court bail on July 26 in 2021 and that he had to wear a tracking device, which had to be charged for two hours continuously per day.

However Mcmanus failed to keep the device charged, told police that he had lost his charger and by September 21 his replacement charger had been left in a friend’s vehicle that had been stolen.

McManus’ solicitor Matt Gemmell said while his client had fallen “short of the mark” of his bail conditions in keeping the tracking device charged, “it wasn’t born of an unwillingness to comply” with the bail undertaking.

Magistrate Kay Ryan wasn’t buying the excuses, and scoffed at the submission that one of the chargers for the tracking device was stolen.

“I hear all sorts of stories in court and I know you instructed Mr Gemmell that you had your charger stolen, that something was wrong with it, that you used your mate’s charger,” Ms Ryan said.

“It all sounds a little far fetched to me. You were provided a replacement charger and then it gets stolen … it sounds highly unlikely. Stories, I hear them all the time.”

Mcmanus was convicted and sentenced to five months jail with immediate parole.

‘Despicable, deplorable and unacceptable’: Repeat DV offender jailed

A 35-year-old father of three with a “shocking history” of domestic violence was jailed in August for his latest offending.

Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told the man showed up at the home of the mother of his children, with the pair in an on again, off again relationship for 13 years.

The court was told on July 10 he turned up at her home at about 4.30pm, demanding to be let in.

During the terrifying ordeal he banged on windows while yelling “(her name) you dog, open the f---ing door, you maggot.”. He also smashed a rake against the back door.

Magistrate Kay Ryan described the man’s offending as “despicable, deplorable and unacceptable”.

“You have a shocking history for a number of things but particularly for domestic violence offences,” she said.

Ms Ryan sentenced him to nine months in jail but, taking into account delays in parole board hearings, ordered the whole term be suspended for two years, meaning he will be released after on October 23.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

‘Stupid thing to do’: Dad that supplied cannabis to daughter faces court

A man who thought little of supplying his 15-year-old daughter and two of her friends with cannabis now understands the seriousness of his actions after having to front Toowoomba Supreme Court in June.

The man, in his 50s, who is not named so as to protect the identity of his daughter and her two friends, was subject to a police search of his Pittsworth home on March 19 last year.

Police had been looking for cannabis and he told them he had 20g of the drug which was seized.

However, during subsequent conservations, the man volunteered to police he had, on their request, provided cannabis for his daughter and her two 15-year-old female friends.

Justice Martin Burns said it appeared the man had little insight into the seriousness of such offending.

“You now understand it was a stupid thing to do,” he told him.

Justice Burns said “special leniency” had to be afforded those who owned up to offences that the police knew nothing about leading to prosecution that otherwise wouldn’t have been.

And, by the material before him, Justice Burns said it was “reasonable to infer none of these children were new to the consumption of that drug”.

The man was sentenced to 18 months probation.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

‘You only get one brain’: Judge gives young man lesson on dangers of drugs

A 20-year-old Allora man before Toowoomba Supreme Court on drugs offences in September 2021 has been given a lesson on the dangers illicit drugs had on a young man’s brain.

“The brain of a young man your age is still developing,” Justice Peter Callaghan told Zac Richard Lucas.

“Cannabis has an effect on the brain. You only get one brain, now is not the time to be playing around with it.”

Lucas was just 18 when police searched a bag he had been carrying on an Allora street on March 7, last year, the court was told. Inside the bag police found a clip seal bag containing 4.39g of substance of which 0.14g was pure MDMA (ecstasy), 20g of cannabis, 20 capsules, scales and clip seal bags.

Lucas pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs and associated items and was placed on two years, three months probation. No convictions were recorded.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.