HALF of an ice-fuelled duo who used an oxyacetylene torch to break into three car washes for a handful of coins has been jailed for three months.
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Michael Parore, 32, of Old Peterborough Road, Peterborough, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to burglary and theft charges.
He has already served 13 days in custody.
His co-offender has had his charges adjourned until March 20.
Magistrate Cynthia Toose said putting Parore on another community corrections order would be setting him up to fail as he lived in an isolated area without a driver's licence.
"You are one of an increasing number of people making poor choices under the influence of methamphetamine,” she said.
“It's the scourge of society. People do things they would normally never contemplate.”
The duo were facing 37 charges between them over the ice-fuelled crime spree which started at 1.40am on Friday, February 3, when they drove an unregistered car to Timboon’s Washdock car wash.
They used an oxyacetylene torch to cut the locks off two air-freshener vending machines, but were unable to get any money.
They then went to the Peterborough grocery store where they used a crowbar to force open the door and steal packets of cigarettes.
About 1.14am the next day, the men used the oxy torch to break into vending machines at a Raglan Parade car wash in Warrnambool, but only managed to pocket between $10 and $20 which they used to buy fuel and a drink.
They then drove to Port Fairy where they again used the oxy torch to break into the air-freshener vending machines but were only able to get $2.
A witness saw sparks flying from the vending machine and alerted police who intercepted the pair on the Princes Highway heading back to Warrnambool.
Police found a crowbar in the car and the oxy tank was in the boot.
They admitted using ice in the past 48 hours and both appeared to be coming down off drugs in court a couple of days later.
The burglaries caused hundreds of dollars damage.