Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Cheryl Goodenough

Serial thief in court for 'cowardly' punch

A judge has given a man "one last chance" after he pleaded guilty to more than 20 offences. (AAP)

A judge hopes she will not be let down by a 33-year-old binge drinker who admitted committing a "smorgasbord" of crimes and "doesn't stop offending".

Jon Dennis Gurney pleaded guilty to more than 20 charges including stealing and fraud which Brisbane District Court Judge Julie Dick said involved "really mean" offences like using friend's cards to buy jewellery he pawned.

"He hasn't got much going for him," she added.

Judge Dick said the 33-year-old's "smorgasbord" of offences including having punched two innocent men who offered a woman a lift when leaving a hotel north of Brisbane about 9.30pm on July 22, 2020.

One man needed surgery to his jaw.

The court was told Gurney - who was on bail and parole at the time he attacked the men - has an extensive criminal history, having been convicted in a Bundaberg court for offences committed from 2006 to 2017 and in NSW for crimes over 10 years.

These included stealing jewellery from women he was in a relationship with before selling it, and transferring money from their bank accounts to himself.

Gurney has also been convicted for punching a woman in the face, kicking a dog, stalking, burglary and robbery.

Defence barrister Stephen Kissick said Gurney is clearly "a brazen user of people and money", but his difficulty is alcohol, not drug-related.

"He is a man who would seem to engage in binge-drinking," he added.

But Judge Dick said the behaviour was absolutely appalling.

"This man doesn't stop offending," she told Mr Kissick.

"All I want is a situation where he can be taken into custody immediately if he reoffends ... an immediate return should he let me down."

Judge Dick sentenced Gurney to two years and six months behind bars for the "cowardly" punch from behind on one man and 12 months' imprisonment for assaulting the other.

The sentences were immediately suspended for four years.

"One last chance from me and that's it," Judge Dick told Gurney.

"You have a long time to behave yourself."

The court heard Gurney will live with his parents on Russell Island, in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, if released from custody.

But Mr Kissick said his client would remain behind bars pending a bail application on other charges listed for trial in October.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.