A former Camooweal police officer has been sentenced to three and a half years jail following stealing and fraud charges.
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Daniel Allan Baker, 37, pleaded guilty on January 23 in Townsville District Court, to stealing around $18,000 from Camooweal locals over 19 months from 2015.
Baker was arrested in Darwin in February 2019, after a warrant was issued for his arrest when Baker's solicitors lost contact with him and he failed to appear in Mount Isa Magistrates Court on November 6, 2018.
On June 10 2019, Baker applied for bail to be with his newborn son via video link in Mount Isa Magistrates Court, but it was refused with the police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Hutchins saying if Mr Baker were to be released they would be back in the same situation.
"He is well aware of his obligations to the court, well aware of the way in which we locate persons and that is why he has gone to certain lengths to be failed to be located," Mr Hutchins said.
"There is not a wall that would stop him from going over the border."
On the same date, Mount Isa Magistrates Court also heard more details on the money stolen.
"Amount to fraud is under $20,000," Mount Isa Acting Magistrate Richard Lehmann said.
"There is only $2262 that amounted to any loss alleged by the police, so of it about $17,000 is cheques that were paid late.
"There is $800 that still hasn't been accounted for.
"Although serious allegations for a person in a position of trust the amount is still relevantly small."
Baker was first charged with three counts of fraud, two counts of stealing as a person in public service, and misconduct of a police officer and extradited from the Northern Territory in July 2017.
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