Jailed for violent theft
Elderly woman broke nose as bag snatched
A CAIRNS man used so much force to snatch a bag from an elderly woman, she fell to the ground, breaking her nose and fracturing her upper left arm and spine.
The 78-year-old, who was in the region visiting a friend, had been standing outside a Minnie St home about 10pm when Cliff Wade Underwood, high on ice, grabbed her from be- hind. He yanked the bag from her. She pitched forward and hit the ground, resulting in multiple injuries.
Two days later the 27-yearold pawned her phone for $40.
He has pleaded guilty in the Cairns District Court to robbery with violence and fraud on November 18 last year and a separate burglary offence. He was jailed for three years.
“It was brazen and opportunistic offending,” Emily Coley, for Crown Prosecutions, said.
She added that it had been “devastating” for the victim, who was having ongoing treatment for her injuries and had sought counselling.
“She also describes feeling as though she’s lost her independence,” Ms Coley said.
Defence barrister Michael Dalton argued that his client’s intent “was a simple bag snatch” and that he hadn’t intended the consequences she suffered.
“So what … it would have been an obvious risk,” Judge Dean Morzone QC said.
Mr Dalton said Underwood, a father of two, had been “drifting” or “lost” after a relationship breakdown. He added that his client was a drug abuser and had been under the influence of methylamphetamines at the time.
The court was told that Underwood had written a letter of apology and recognised how his offending impacted others.
Judge Morzone labelled Underwood a “somewhat” high risk of reoffending based on his criminal history, which included multiple property offences, two periods on parole and a breached probation order.
Mr Dalton said the penalty range was two and a half to three years, while Ms Coley said it extended to three and a half years.
Underwood had already spent just over five and a half months in custody and will be released on parole after serving 11 months.