Jacob Robert Searle in court for wilful damage
A homeless man who went on a property damage crime spree across Gympie and the Sunshine Coast has revealed the surprising reason why.
Police & Courts
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A former apprentice chef tried to“cry for help” from police by smashing Gympie Regional Council property and getting himself arrested, a court has heard.
Gympie Magistrate Court was told Jacob Robert Searle broke into a council building on the night of April 26, 2022.
He first broke into a car to steal a set of pliers and used them to smash the windows of council workers’ cars.
The property damage to the council was worth about $5000, police prosecutor Vicki Kennedy-Grills said.
It was not the first time he had damaged property either.
He threw rocks to shatter windows of Gympie Historic Auto Club building on February 14, damaged the walls of Gympie District Court on January 19, and broke a licence plate in Kings Beach on December 23, 2021.
He failed to appear in Gympie Magistrates Court, Caloundra Magistrates Court and Maroochydore Magistrates Court on three separate occasions in March in relation to these crimes, the court heard.
Searle, who appeared by videolink, hung his head throughout his court appearance.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to appear, eight counts of wilful damage, two counts of being a public nuisance, one count of entering premise to commit wilful damage, one count of breaking into a car with intent to commit an indictable offence and one count of breaking into a business and one count of stealing.
Lawyer Jamiee Burns said her 30-year-old client’s behaviour at the council building was a “cry for help” to police.
Ms Burns said Searle had “been on the streets so long, he didn’t know how to get off [the streets].”
She said Searle suffered from schizophrenia and was unmedicated and abusing substances at the time of offending.
Searle spent three years in an assisted living centre on the Sunshine Coast before he was required to move out.
He then worked as an apprentice chef for six months but could not afford accommodation and returned to Gympie.
Magistrate Chris Callaghan said Searle had a “shocking criminal history” with 15 break-ins on his record, five including burglary offences.
“That’s not how you get help because you create more victims,” Mr Callaghan said.
“You’ve got to take some responsibility.”
Searle was sentenced to two years imprisonment to be released after six months on October 26.
His five months in custody was declared as time served.
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