Disgraced car salesman jailed for home burglary

DISGRACED Toowoomba car salesman David James Craigen has been jailed for a burglary.

Craigen was jailed for four years by the Toowoomba District Court in August after pleading guilty to fraud arising from his having ripped off his car dealer employer, the Armstrong Auto Group, of $151,000.

The court heard the 53year-old over a 10 month period from November 2018 sold 15 vehicles to a third party, the money for which he had pocketed either in cash, bank transfer or cheque.

Craigen, who had a similar offence of fraud years before, had placed $100,000 into trust as part restitution, the court heard.

The remainder of his fouryear jail sentence will be suspended after he has served nine months, and he is scheduled to be released from prison on May 2 next year.

Craigen appeared by video link from the prison on Friday to plead guilty before the Toowoomba Magistrates Court to the burglary of a residence on the Warrego Highway at Withcott on June 8, 2020.

The court heard the offence was a breach of trust because Craigen was working for the victim at the time and knew where the house key was to let himself in.

On the day, Craigen had been with the victim and later called him by phone to check that he wasn’t returning to the residence at which time he committed the burglary.

Before entering the house, he had removed his shoes and put gloves on his hands so as not to leave any evidence such as fingerprints or DNA.

Though nothing was stolen and no damage was reported, Craigen’s offending was considered serious due to the breach of trust, Magistrate Kay Ryan said.

“There seemed to be some planning,” she said.

Craigen’s solicitor Brad Skuse, of Skuse Graham Lawyers, told the court his client had co-operated with police and in a record of interview made frank and open admissions.

Though he had tried to conceal the offence by wearing gloves he had not realised the home had security surveillance, he said.

Mr Skuse asked for a penalty that did not disturb his client’s release date in May.

Ms Ryan sentenced Craigen to six months behind bars, to be served concurrently with his other sentence, and set a parole release date as of May 2.