Carjacking, shooting accused to remain behind bars

Perth Now

23-04-2025

A man accused of carjackings, a fatal crash and shooting a good Samaritan in a 30-minute spree will remain behind bars.
Bradley Donald Towle, 41, is facing 15 charges including dangerous driving causing death while intoxicated following a string of alleged incidents on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on Monday.
Towle is accused of causing a six-vehicle crash on a major highway north of Brisbane that killed a 22-year-old woman who has been identified in court documents as Jocelyn Grace Mollee.
Police also allege Towle shot a 62-year-old man who stopped to offer assistance to crash victims before stealing two cars at gunpoint.
Towle has been charged with a string of offences including unlawful wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing methamphetamine, GHB and cash suspected to be proceeds of crime.
He was originally due to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday but he was still in hospital under police guard.
The matter was adjourned for him to appear via videolink on Wednesday.
The charges were briefly mentioned on Wednesday but Towle was not required to appear despite him being taken from hospital and placed in an adjacent police watchhouse.
Towle's solicitor Ben Rynderman did not apply for bail and Magistrate Rodney Madsen remanded him in custody ahead of his case's next court mention on June 30 at Maroochydore.
Mr Rynderman said outside court his client was facing very serious charges.
"The matter has been adjourned for the disclosure of a brief of evidence (by police)," he said.
"Ordinarily that takes approximately seven weeks. Given the complexity of this matter, it will take slightly longer.
"It's a matter that will require careful investigation, certainly, and also careful analysis from a defence perspective."
Mr Rynderman said he had spoken with his client after he was discharged from hospital but was not able to say whether or not Towle would seek bail at a later stage.
"(Towle's) injuries are of a nature whereby he is able to be looked after in the watchhouse without requiring further medical assistance," he said.
Court documents state Towle had declined to participate in a mental health assessment offered by a court liaison service.
Towle allegedly caused the multi-vehicle crash when the Porsche he was driving struck the side of a Nissan Micra.
Ms Mollee was a passenger in the Nissan, later dying of her injuries sustained in the crash.
Towle allegedly shot a 62-year-old Branyan man in the arm after he stopped to render assistance and stole his SsangYong Rexton.
He allegedly crashed that vehicle within 25 minutes of leaving the scene and carjacked a Mazda 3, that was being driven by a 16-year-old female learner driver and her parents.
The teen and her parents fled the vehicle and were not harmed.
Towle was later arrested at gunpoint by police at 12.48pm at the intersection of Steve Irwin Way and Forestry Road, Landsborough.
Dramatic arrest footage from body cameras has been shared by police.
Two officers with guns drawn can be seen in the footage approaching a vehicle on the busy intersection and screaming at a "bleeding" man to get out before handcuffing him.
Police allege officers found a single-barrel break-action shotgun in the Mazda that was used during the previous offences.