Failed copper thief sentenced for slaughterhouse break-in

A MONEY-making scheme gone wrong landed a man in Murgon Magistrates Court today.

A MURGON man was sentenced to one month imprisonment today, which has been suspended for 12 months, after he entered an abandoned abattoir with intent to steal. File Photo.

A MURGON man was sentenced to one month’s jail time today, which has been suspended for 12 months, after unlawfully entering an abandoned abattoir with the intent to strip and sell copper wiring.

Michael Alexander Fulton entered a plea of guilty to three charges before Murgon Magistrates Court this morning (September 8), including one enter premises with intent to commit a crime and two driving charges.

According to police prosecutor Barry Stevens, around midnight on May 25, Fulton entered the Pittsworth Regional Abattoir with a number of other persons and two children.

“He then went round the side of the abattoir while the other people were waiting in the building,” Sergeant Stevens said. “He could be heard cutting metal sheeting on the roof.”

The 33-year-old told police he had attended to abattoir to take some copper wire, which he intended to collect and sell.

“He stated he had climbed onto the roof, cut through the metal sheeting, and gained access to a large generator fan, but could not find any wire.”

“He said he was going to take the wire to sell it, but it looked as though the wire had already been stripped from the building.”

When police attended the venue, they found Fulton with a number of power tools and a torch around his head.

According to defence lawyer Alan Korobacz, the building was abandoned at the time of the incident and no property was taken as a result of the enter premises.

Fulton also faced two driving charges dating back to July.

On July 13, 2020, he was intercepted by police while driving a car on Greenview Road at Wondai. At the time was not the holder of a drivers licence and failed to keep to the left hand side of the road.

Fulton told officers he’d just had an argument with his partner prior to the incident and needed to get away for a while.

In relation to the enter premises with intent to commit a crime, Magistrate Andrew Sinclair sentenced Fulton to one month in jail, which suspended for 12 months.

For driving while unlicensed, he was convicted and fined $750 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence for two years.

For failing to keep left, he was convicted and not further punished.

Convictions were recorded.

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