A father involved in the armed robbery of a pub in Central Queensland trafficked methamphetamine and marijuana to support his addiction and pay off his drug debt.
James Robert Pattenden, 35, pleaded guilty in the Rockhampton Supreme Court on May 24 one count each of armed robbery and trafficking dangerous drugs.
Pattenden also pleaded guilty to five counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of possessing tainted property and one count each of possessing utensils or pipes for use and contravening direction or requirement of a police officer.
Crown prosecutor Cameron Keast said Pattenden, who had a 10-page criminal record, entered Raffles Hotel on Little Musgrave Street, Berserker on December 29, 2021 about 2am and scoped out the pokies area before texting a co-accused that there were two girls, one customer, and that one of them just went to her car for a break.
Raffles Hotel. Picture: Adam Wratten
Mr Keast said that about 20 minutes later the co-accused allegedly burst into the venue with a shotgun and pointed it at a woman who handed over $2000 cash.
As well as acting as the getaway driver, Mr Keast said Pattenden had text messages on his phone which indicated he helped source the gun or at least tested it prior to the offending.
Mr Keast said Pattenden trafficked meth and marijuana at a street level for just over two months between December 2021 and March 2022.
He said Pattenden supplied drugs 43 times over that period and relied on an associate he was staying with at the time who sourced drugs.
“There is no allegation he was making a significant amount of money from this business,” he said.
He said Pattenden’s trafficking business came to a halt when the house he was staying at was searched by police on March 8, 2022.
He said Pattenden was found with a syringe, three different drugs, including meth and marijuana, in his underwear, $65 cash and a phone.
Pattenden was also caught possessing dangerous drugs twice in November 2021.
Mr Keast said police searched Pattenden on November 18, 2021 and found two clip seal bags containing 6g of marijuana in his underwear.
He said Pattenden was searched again on November 30, 2021 with police finding a bag containing 1.8g of marijuana in his underwear.
Defence barrister Maree Willey said her client, who had a daughter, was exposed to drugs at an early age and that he became homeless just before his 14th birthday.
Ms Willey said her client wasn’t the principal offender in the armed robbery.
In relation to the drug trafficking, Ms Willey said her client was operating under another and was supplying small amounts to end users.
“He did so to support his habit and pay off the debt he had,” she said.
She said her client had been clean from drugs while he was on remand and sought to better himself.
Justice Graeme Crow sentenced Pattenden to nine years’ prison, with parole eligibility on December 7, 2024 and declared 442 days of pre-sentence custody as time already served.