Bail stripped after home invasion, car jacking spree
Rex Martinich |
A man accused of wielding a knife in a violent home invasion and carjacking spree has been stripped of bail.
Darren Brian Cutmore, 35, is in a mental health unit after allegedly sparking a police chase across Brisbane’s north in May 2025 that ended when good Samaritans fought back.
A police helicopter tracked Cutmore who allegedly drove the wrong way down busy roads and threatened motorists during a six-hour rampage.
Cutmore on Wednesday had his bail revoked after a Supreme Court judge ruled he was an unacceptable risk to the public.
Cutmore allegedly began his spree when he broke into a home and held a woman at knifepoint before leaving in her blue BMW coupe.
He is accused of driving dangerously before pulling in front of a young woman, brandishing a large knife and demanding she get out of her vehicle.
The woman locked her doors and refused to comply.
Cutmore then allegedly drove to a RSL and dragged a 67-year-old man out of his Audi as he left with his 68-year-old wife.
The man’s clothing became entangled with the vehicle and he was dragged across bitumen for about 30 metres, causing abrasions to his limbs and head.
Cutmore was later disarmed by a woman he allegedly tried to carjack after parking in front of her on railway tracks.
He’s accused of trying to steal another ute and a four-wheel-drive before attempting to carjack a Toyota HiLux and being restrained by the driver and a bystander.
Cutmore was on bail at the time of the alleged offences after being accused of wielding a machete and threatening to kill a woman and child known to him earlier in May.
Police prosecutor Aisling Kennedy applied on Wednesday in Brisbane Supreme Court for a judicial review of a magistrate’s decision to grant Cutmore bail.
“There’s an unacceptable risk of failing to appear or committing further offences,” Ms Kennedy said.
Police helicopter footage has been released of the alleged offending, showing a vehicle driving dangerously on major roads and motorists being threatened.
“The evidence could not be described as weak,” Justice Michael Copley said on Wednesday.
“The offences are serious because they involve not just personal violence with threats of using a knife, they involve the actual endangerment of people using the roads in Brisbane.”
Defence barrister Danielle Iliffe said the police application to revoke bail was “precarious” and Cutmore was in an involuntary hold for treatment in a hospital’s high-dependency mental health unit.
“He will not be released until doctors determine he is well enough to be released … it’s indefinite,” Ms Iliffe said.
Justice Copley heard Cutmore’s confinement in a mental health unit would reduce his risk while on bail.
“Mental health appears to be some form of trigger for his offending,” Ms Iliffe said.
There was no evidence Cutmore’s alleged offending was linked to mental health problems, Justice Copley found.
“I am satisfied he is an unacceptable risk of committing further offences, particularly offences that endanger members of the public,” he said.
Justice Copley said he would issue an order to revoke bail after determining the procedure for arresting Cutmore while he was in a mental health unit and bringing him back to court.
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AAP