Steven Clunes in court for breaking-in, stealing motorbikes

A young Gympie region farmhand, who downed 4.5l of booze before stealing two motorbikes says he can’t remember it. His memory about the day he put frozen pizzas down his duds isn’t as hazy.

A Chatsworth man who stole two motorbikes after downing 4.5 litres of alcohol days before Christmas told a Gympie court on Thursday he was so drunk at the time he did not remember doing it.

Steven Clunes, 22, pleaded guilty to breaking into a shed and committing an indictable offence, two counts of possessing a pipe, one count of possessing methamphetamine, and one count of unauthorised dealing of shopgoods.

Clunes broke into the Chatsworth property and stole two motorcycles on December 21, 2022. One motorcycle was valued at $15,000 and the other at $4000.

At about 9pm on December 20, 2021, the owner of the bikes closed his shed with the two motorcycles inside alongside two helmets.

At about 5.45pm, a concerned neighbour called the owner, stating they found one of the motorcycles on the side of the road and feared their son had been involved in an accident.

The owner opened the roller-door to his shed to find both motorcycles and helmets gone. One motorcycle was found and recovered about 500m away from the house.

Police discovered fingerprints belonging to Clunes on the bike and roller-door surface, the court heard.

The bike owner confirmed he did not know the man.

Police attended a Chatsworth address under a search warrant at about 9.30am on December 23, 2022.

Clunes was not home at the time, the court heard.

Steven Clunes was sentenced in Gympie Magistrates Court after stealing two motorcycles from a stranger.

Police were notified Clunes lived at another address, that being his brother.

The court heard police went to the second address, and found a pipe attached to a plastic bottle used to smoke cannabis in plain view on the lounge room floor.

A glass pipe and two glass bongs in a cardboard box in the same room were also discovered.

A mobile phone was seized and examined by police. The phone contained a video of the second stolen motorcycle lying on its side in long grass next to a road.

Police suspected the bike to be concealed on the side of Fisherman’s Pocket Rd so they went to the scene and searched the roadside about 12.30pm the same day.

The stolen bike was found about 20m from the entrance gate of the defendant’s home, police prosecutor Michael Phillips said.

At 12:45pm, Clunes was seen arriving home and he was arrested five minutes later.

He told police he had no knowledge of the motorbike being stolen, the court heard. Police conducted a search and found a tobacco pouch in Clunes’ possession before he was taken to the watchhouse, where a clip-seal bag containing 0.5g of methamphetamine was found inside the tobacco pouch.

The motorcycles were not damaged and returned to the owner. No restitution was sought.

The court heard that at 3.30pm on May 4, 2022 Clunes entered Drakes supermarket and slipped two frozen pizzas down the front of his pants and walked out without paying.

Clunes was homeless at the time of the stealing offence and was extremely hungry but had no money to pay for the pizzas, duty lawyer Laura Nightingale told the court.

On the day of the motorcycle theft, he had consumed 4.5 litres of cask wine and had no recollection of the event due to intoxication, she said.

Clunes realised what he done once the bike on the side of the road was brought to his attention, the court heard

Clunes recognised his consumption of alcohol was a problem following the incident, Ms Nightingale said.

Clunes works as a farmhand and had been largely homeless in the past five years, mostly residing at his brother’s house and on the streets. He now had stable accommodation, the court heard.

Clunes was fined $400 and given six months jail, suspended for 18 months in regards to the entering premises charge.