A serial thief stole a credit card from his own mum and went on a shopping spree in Hamilton.
The 50-year-old Hamilton man was arrested over the weekend and charged with more than 20 offences after using a stolen bank card for tap and go purchases last week.
He pleaded guilty to offences in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday, September 18.
Police said the man stole his mother's bank card and went on a shopping spree in the Hamilton area, including at petrol stations, Harvey Norman, Coles and other retail stores.
He made four purchases at Harvey Norman totalling $303.
He was later arrested at a Hamilton petrol station after filling a jerry can with $20 worth of fuel and failing to pay.
The man was found in possession of a small quantity of the drug ice.
He also pleaded guilty to thefts of a battery pack and portable speaking totalling hundreds of dollars.
A lawyer representing the man told the court he was "very remorseful" and appeared "quite genuine" about repaying his parents the money he stole.
She said her client didn't ordinarily use methamphetamine, thought he'd "give it a go" but didn't like it and was unlikely to use it again.
The man was placed on a 15-month correction order, which allows him to serve his sentence in the community as long as he seeks treatment for drug abuse.
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old Hamilton man was arrested at the weekend and charged with six counts of assault as well as persistently breaching a court order, using a carriage service to harass and committing an offence while on bail.
He appeared briefly in the same court where his lawyer said there had been some "incorrect charges laid".
She said he had therefore found himself on remand for an alleged breach of an order from four months ago.
"That's the reason why the prosecution wouldn't be opposing a bail application today," she said.
The man was bailed and will appear in court again on September 22.
A 40-year-old Warrnambool man is also in custody charged with family-violence related offending.
He was charged with breaching his bail, breaching a court order and possessing prescription medication.
IN OTHER LOCAL NEWS:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.standard.net.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines and newsletters
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Tap here to open our Google News page
- Join our Courts and Crime Facebook group and our dedicated Sport
- Facebook group
- Subscribe
