“Cowardly conduct”: Young father Clinton Patrick Noy smuggles $598 worth of tools out of Bunnings in pram

A 22-year-old drug addict has faced court after a cunning ploy to sneak hundreds of dollars worth of tools from Mitre 10 and Bunnings in a pram backfired.

A drug-addicted Ipswich dad has faced court for trying to smuggle hundreds of dollars-worth of tools out of Bunnings and Mitre 10 inside a pram.

Clinton Patrick Noy, 22, faced Ipswich Magistrates court this morning after a series of hardware store thefts.

Noy pleaded guilty to a number of offences committed between August 20, 2020 and February 4, 2021 — including entering a premises and committing an indictable offence, three counts of stealing, two counts of driving without a licence, and possession of utensils that had been used.

The court heard that on January 18 2021, Noy stole $592.25 worth of spray paint and masking tape from Mitre 10.

He further unlawfully entered the premises of Bunnings Indooroopilly and smuggled $598 worth of tools out of the store in a pram.

He later stole a drill worth $399 from Mitre 10 on February 11 2021.

On March 12 2021, Noy unlawfully entered the premises of an undisclosed hardware store at 12.50am and stole “a large scale” of Makita tools including angle grinders, impact wrenches and cut-off saws.

22-year-old Clinton Noy, who faced Ipswich Magistrates court after a series of hardware store thefts

“This is cowardly conduct,” said Magistrate Kathleen Payne.

“It does nothing for your character. You need to really reflect on this before you come out into the community,” she said.

Noy appeared in the Magistrates court via video link on May 31 2022 from behind bars – having received a three-year sentence on February 23 2022 for a serious armed robbery involving actual violence.

The court heard that Noy had a difficult home life growing up, as his parents separated when he was young.

He turned to drugs at a young age, and was injecting 3.5 grams of methamphetamine a week at one point.

He has a young child with his ex-partner, and worked full-time at an abattoir after completing year 10 of school.

“I’m satisfied that the only appropriate sentences are ones of imprisonment – having regards to your criminal history,” said Magistrate Payne.

She sentenced Noy to 12 months imprisonment for the enter premises offence, three months for each of the stealing offences, three months for the possession of drug-related utensils and three months imprisonment for the disqualified driving offences – to run concurrently with his existing charges.

“I sentence you in a way that is just in all the circumstances, to provide conditions which I consider will help you to be rehabilitated, to deter you and others from committing this type of offending, and to protect the community,” said Magistrate Payne.

Noy was also disqualified from driving for a further two years and ordered to surrender all drug-related paraphernalia.

His parole release remains set for September 12 2022.