Ricky Atkinson, 39, pleads guilty to St Mary’s Sports Club break-in
A Newcomb man has escaped an immediate jail term after breaking into a Geelong football club armed with a hammer and stealing cash.
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A Newcomb man has escaped an immediate jail term after breaking into a Geelong football club to steal cash while armed with a hammer.
Ricky Atkinson, 39, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates Court to burglary, theft, going equipped to steal, using proceeds of crime and committing an indictable offence while on bail following an incident at the St Mary’s Sports Club.
Police prosecutor Kerrie Maroney told the court on Friday a police officer noticed Atkinson during a routine patrol near the popular football club at 4am on November 29.
She said the officer heard a security alarm and saw Atkinson leaving the clubrooms, which are located on Latrobe Tce in Newtown.
The court heard Atkinson was in possession of a hammer, a large quantity of cash and assorted coins.
Ms Maroney said officers saw a sliding door had been forced open, with security footage showing Atkinson inside the club.
He accessed the till and stole cash from the bar.
Police found a backpack and other stolen items relating to a theft from a motor vehicle in Werribee in Atkinson’s car.
The court heard, when asked about the incident and items, Atkinson denied having entered the premises or that the cash was stolen, saying the coins were from his money box and he “won the money on the pokies”.
Ms Maroney told the court he claimed to find the tools in the toilet block at the Kardinia Park West site.
Atkinson pleaded guilty to the charges, with Magistrate John Bentley deferring his sentence until May 15.
“Surely no grown man has a money box,” Mr Bentley remarked while handing down his decision.
Atkinson was bailed and placed on a Community Corrections Order for 12 months, with sentencing for the burglary charges adjourned until May 15.
“If he is doing well on the corrections order his jail sentence will be reduced to time served,” Mr Bentley said.
Originally published as Ricky Atkinson, 39, pleads guilty to St Mary’s Sports Club break-in
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