Cars, cash, Louis Vuitton bag stolen in nine-day crime spree

PAUL Dudley Currie removed a court-ordered monitoring device from himself and began a nine-day, drug-fuelled crime spree.

The long-time criminal, who has nine pages of "appalling” criminal history, stole cars, led police on chases, robbed houses while people were at home and pushed over and robbed an elderly Indian tourist while he was withdrawing cash at an ATM.

On February 12, 2018 Currie took off a monitoring device that had been installed to track him while he was on parole.

He then broke into a North Ipswich house and stole a handbag and a red Holden Statesman. The house owner saw Currie backing the car out of the house, and her boyfriend unsuccessfully gave chase.

About two hours later Currie had driven the car into Brisbane and robbed a house in Grange. He stole a $3400 Louis Vuitton handbag and was seen fleeing the scene in the stolen Statesman.

He was later seen in the stolen car in Inala where he stole fuel from a petrol station.

On February 14, Currie broke into a house in Zillmere in north Brisbane where he stole a handbag, wallet, phones and cash.

Police found the stolen Statesman in Inala with stolen handbag, wallet and phones inside. The cash was not recovered.

Currie was then spotted driving in a stolen Nissan Navara at a fuel station in Oxley where he stole fuel.

He later robbed a 68-year-old Indian tourist who was withdrawing cash from an ATM in Kenmore. Currie was captured on CCTV pushing the man over and stealing $750 from the ATM's cash tray.

On February 20, Currie broke into a house in Silkstone where he stole $2000 cash and a BMW. Currie was later spotted in the car in Oxley and Inala where police began to follow him. He led police on a pursuit through Ellen Grove where he ran a red light at speed close to council workers carrying out works.

The stolen BMW was found at Riverlink with about $4800 of damage. Currie was then arrested in a house in North Ipswich. He has been in jail for breaching his parole since.

The court heard Currie left about $14,200 of damaged or unrecovered goods in his wake over the nine-day spree.

In Brisbane District Court on Friday, Currie pleaded guilty to charges including burglary, robbery, stealing, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.

The court heard Currie was a long-time drug addict who used meth and heroin daily.

One of Currie's burglary victims told the court she now felt unsafe in her own home and said Currie had "robbed her of her sense of security”.

Currie's barrister Julian Noud told the court his client had spent most of the past five years in prison.

Mr Noud said Currie dropped out of school after Grade 7 and began sniffing petrol before he graduated to using meth in his 20s.

Judge Brian Devereaux said courts would soon stop giving Currie chances.

"You're not giving anybody much of a chance of rehabilitating you,” he said.

"There comes a time when a court shall simply say: too bad, it's too late. It's not at that stage yet.”

Currie was sentenced to three years and nine months' jail to begin after his previous sentence ends in April.