Matthew Robert Jones pleads guilty to stealing from the Commercial Hotel Redbank

A court has heard a man looking for discarded cigarette butts helped himself to an Ipswich pub’s outdoor gas heater, only to be caught a few metres down the road by police.

Matthew Robert Jones pleaded guilty to stealing a gas heater.

IT was 2.45am when police came across a man wheeling a 2m tall gas heater down a suburban street.

When questioned, Matt Jones readily confessed he had wheeled the big gas heater down the road from a nearby hotel.

Ipswich Magistrates Court heard Jones went into the yard of the hotel looking for discarded cigarette butts when he saw the outdoor gas heater and decided he needed it.

Matthew Robert Jones, 35, from Goodna, pleaded guilty to stealing an outdoor heater from the Commercial Hotel at Redbank on June 5.

Prosecutor Sergeant Trent Voigt said the hotel was closed at the time if the theft.

“A police patrol saw him wheeling a large 2m high outdoor gas heater. He says he was patrolling the hotels for dumpers – used cigarette butts – and decided he needed a heater,” Sgt Voigt said.

“He was caught 50m from the hotel. He returned the heater to the pub.”

Sgt Voigt said the heater was worth about $200 and there was also a gas bottle valued at $70

When asked what he had to say on the matter, Jones told Magistrate Jacqueline Payne he was co-operative with police once caught out.

“Can you note that I was kind and cooperative with the police,” Jones said.

“I took it back politely.

“I’m 35. I‘m not working, I’m on a DSB pension.

“I’m not silly. I certainly won’t do it again. It was a very foolish thing to do.

“So I have no intention of doing it again I assure you of that.”

Ms Payne placed the disability pensioner on a $300 good behaviour bond.