Christopher S. Nelson 
A judge is hoping she won’t be let down by a 33-year-old heavy drinker who has admitted to committing an ‘assortment’ of crimes and ‘can’t stop offending’.
Jon Dennis Gurney pleaded guilty to more than 20 counts, including theft and fraud, which Brisbane District Court Judge Julie Dick said involved “really nasty” offenses like using the cards from a friend to buy jewelry he has pawned.
“He doesn’t have much going for him,” she added.
Judge Dick said the 33-year-old ‘smorgasbord’ notably struck two innocent men who offered a lift to a woman when leaving a hotel north of Brisbane at around 9.30pm on July 22, 2020.
A man had to have jaw surgery.
The court was told that Gurney – who was on bail and on parole when he attacked the men – has a long criminal history, having been convicted in a court in Bundaberg for offenses committed from 2006 to 2017 and in New South Wales for crimes over 10 years.
These included stealing jewelery from women he was in a relationship with before selling it and transferring money from their bank accounts to himself.
Gurney was also convicted of punching a woman in the face, kicking a dog, stalking, burglary and robbery.
Defense attorney Stephen Kissick said Gurney was clearly “a brazen user of people and money”, but his problem was alcohol, not drugs.
“He’s a man who seems to indulge in heavy drinking,” he added.
But Judge Dick said the behavior was absolutely appalling.
“This man just keeps offending,” she told Mr Kissick.
“All I want is a situation where he can be taken into custody immediately if he does it again…an immediate comeback if he lets 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 in jail 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 plenty of time to behave yourself.”
The court heard that Gurney would live with his parents on Russell Island, in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, if released.
But Mr Kissick said his client would remain behind bars pending a bail application on other charges at trial in October.
Australian Associated Press
