A 66-year-old Queensland man, who is sleeping on the floor in prison after he was jailed for fraud, is attempting to use the coronavirus crisis to be released.

April 8, 2020

An ex-director of a failed Queensland whitegoods company, who is sleeping on the floor in prison after he was jailed for fraud, is attempting to use the coronavirus to be released.

Kleenmaid founder Andrew Eric Young, 66, applied for bail on Wednesday ahead of an appeal hearing against his conviction later in the year.

Young, who suffers heart disease, is sleeping on a mattress in a communal area at the Woodford Correctional Centre, says his lawyer Saul Holt QC.

“The potential here, which is far from speculative, is that there will be an outbreak of COVID-19 in the prison,” he told the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday.

“If there is, then the likelihood is that it will spread far and fast, and if it does then there is a risk he will suffer severe health outcomes, including the risk of death.”

Young was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment in February following a 59-day trial.

The proceedings were delayed mid-trial when Young was taken to hospital after collapsing in the courtroom.

A jury ultimately found him guilty of 19 charges, including dishonestly gaining a $13 million loan from Westpac in 2007.

He was also convicted of trading insolvently, resulting in debts of more than $750,000 in 2008 and 2009.

Prosecutor Lincoln Crowley QC said it was too early to say Young was at great risk from coronavirus and should be released from prison.

“We are not dealing with somebody who is in another part of the world … we are dealing with (Young) who is in a closed and strictly monitored environment where he is effectively isolated,” he said.

The court heard Queensland Corrective Services has introduced rigid testing for prisoners, staff and visitors to jails.

All new inmates also undergo 14-day isolation before being released into the prison population.

Young can also apply for special provisions to be made due to his medical condition.

Justice Anne Lyon reserved her decision on bail.