September 28, 2012
In Kingaroy Magistrates Court on Thursday:
A woman charged with 87 counts of fraud (gaining a benefit as an employee) has been remanded on bail by Kingaroy Magistrates Court.
Susan Jane Wolski was represented by solicitor Andrew Kelly who told the court the matter had been ongoing for a couple of years but it was only now that charges had been laid.
Wolski was remanded to December 6.
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Dates have been set in October and November for a preliminary hearing of a charge of murder against Stephen Doyle, 38, of Nanango.
Doyle, who is in custody, is charged with the murder of Michael Thomsen, 37, at Nanango on September 3 last year.
It is expected the Defence will cross-examine 16 or 17 witnesses plus police and possibly forensic experts.
Magistrate Mark Bucknall said the hearing could proceed on October 17 and November 26 in Kingaroy Magistrates Court.
The charge was adjourned for mention again on October 11.
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A 33-year-old man was fined $750 and sentenced to 150 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges.
Magistrate Bucknall ordered that Ryan Gregory Harrison forfeit rifles and a shotgun found by police in a search, but allowed a .303 rifle used by one of Harrison’s relatives in World War II to be returned. He accepted that Harrison had “no sinister purpose” in possessing the weapons and ammunition, which Harrison claimed he kept to control feral dogs that attacked his stock.
However Mr Bucknall said the drugs charges were more serious because of the quantity of cannabis involved and the “degree of criminality”.
Police alleged Harrison had bagged at least six ounces of marijuana into individual clipseal bags for resale. More cannabis and seeds were found in another part of the house. There was also a quantity of new clipseal bags and a scale on a workbench.
“You and other members of the community have to realise that in hard economic times it is not an option to turn to illegal actions, especially dealing in illicit drugs,” Mr Bucknall said.
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A 61-year-old widow no criminal history – and who has received just one traffic ticket in her life – pleaded guilty to possessing 365g of “very high quality” cannabis compressed into a block, as well as instructions on how to make methylamphetamine.
Police Prosecutor Wayne Bushell told the court the case was “fairly unusual”.
He said police had executed a search warrant at the Booie home of Judith Dawson. When they entered they could smell burning cannabis apparently coming from a bedroom.
A search located the drug instructions as well as the block of cannabis, which was hidden among Christmas decorations, in the bedroom.
Police said Dawson told them she had downloaded the instructions from the Internet. She also admitted knowing the cannabis was in the bedroom.
Defence counsel Andrew Kelly said his client had never intended manufacturing methylamphetamine and had “never smoked marijuana in her life”.
He said the bedroom was his client’s room but Dawson had vacated it after her husband had died and her 35-year-old son, who was her carer, had moved in.
Mr Kelly said his client had instructed him the drugs belonged to her late husband.
Magistrate Bucknall said he could not ignore the enormous amount of cannabis found on the property. He fined Dawson $2500 and recorded a conviction.
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A young man who failed to stop when police tried to pull him over in Kingaroy in the early hours of June 11 was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for three months.
But Magistrate Bucknall warned Matthew James Axleby that he was very lucky because if he had committed the offence only a short time later, the mandatory minimum penalty that he would have had to impose was a $5500 fine and a two-year disqualification. This was because of legislative changes passed recently by the State Government.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Wayne Bushell said Axleby was driving a white Mazda that had been reported as having been stolen, although that report was later withdrawn by the complainant.
Police had followed him around various Kingaroy streets from about 4:00am at low speed, but Axleby had refused to stop despite police flashing their lights and high-beams at the vehicle. When the Mazda entered Walter Road it had accelerated and sped away. Police did not pursue.
They later located the car parked behind the house of the person who had reported it stolen.
Magistrate Bucknall: “Why didn’t you stop?”
Axelby (who was unrepresented): “I don’t remember, it’s too far back.”
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A 21-year-old learner driver who blew 0.214 at a roadside breath test was fined $1400 and disqualified from driving or obtaining a permit to drive for 18 months.
Sylvester John Newman was told by Magistrate Bucknall that it was a wonder he hadn’t killed himself or someone else.
“You presented a real risk to other road users and members of the community,” he said.
