Nine-page rap sheet

Man’s offending increasing, court is told

A FAR Northern man, who broke into a Cairns building company and wrote himself a cheque for $5000, argued that he didn’t even get to spend the cash.

Simon Desmond Byers, 33, was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to charges of enter premises with intent, stealing, fraud and possessing a knife in a public place. MELBOURNE man Kevin O’Donnell will ride the Cairns to Cooktown Cardiac Challenge to raise money for the hospital that saved his life.

Mr O’Donnell was on holiday with his wife in Port Douglas five years ago, when

While standing in the Cairns Magistrates Court dock, Byers told Acting Magistrate Scott Luxton that his bank account had been frozen after learning he would need to pay $7410.30 restitution.

The amount included $1761.30 in damages after he forced his way into Neater Homes about 1am on June 5 this year and also stole a drill he went into cardiac arrest.

He was rushed to Mossman Hospital, then to Cairns Hospital, where he spent six weeks in a coma in intensive care.

“I was hanging by a thread and in the hospital for many weeks. I’m just incredibly grateful for the care,” he said.

He approached the Far set worth more than $600.

While there he stole a cheque book and wrote a $5000 cheque out to himself.

The court was told that on June 6 he also ripped a television off the wall at Target and walked out.

Defence barrister Scott Osborne said it was surprising that the cheque was even honoured by the bank. North Queensland Hospital Foundation to make a donation last year and ended up entering the Cardiac Challenge.

“Until last year’s Cardiac Challenge, I’d never ridden 100 kilometres a day,” he said.

“Riding daily has made me fitter than I’ve been in decades,

Byers has spent the past 69 days in pre-sentence custody, which was declared time already served. That means he will only spend the next four months in jail before being released on parole on December 3.

Prosecutor Constable Stewart Clyde-Smith said Byers, who has a nine-page criminal history, has faced previous the only difficulty is the medication I take for my heart, which slows my heart rate.”

Mr O’Donnell has raised $2681 for the Challenge so far, and aims to hit $3000. The Cardiac Challenge is on September 22-24 starting at the base of the Kuranda Range. For more, visit www.cardiacchallenge.com.au terms of imprisonment for his offending.

“The defendant’s behaviour appears to be escalating,” Const. Clyde-Smith said.

The court was told Byers suffered from mental health issues and usually took strong medication, which he had lost.

“His cognitive reasoning wasn’t at its best,” Mr Osborne said. Watch the video online www.cairnspost.com.au

Mr Osbourne told the court Byers accepted that he’d contributed to his mental health issues through the use of illicit drugs. He always intended to plead guilty.

Mr Osborne said his client had been “helped” to spend the money by the people he was living with.

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