Riley James Cox sentenced in court for entering Ergon and committing an indictable offence

After having his Centrelink payments cut off, a teenager entered the Ergon Energy complex in North Rockhampton and started stripping copper wire to sell for money. Here’s what happened to him in court.

After having his Centrelink payments cut off, a teenager entered the Ergon Energy complex in North Rockhampton and started stripping copper wire to sell for money to pay for food and a night in a hotel, a court has heard.

Riley James Cox, 19, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on July 22 to one count each of enter premises and commit indictable offence and failure to appear in accordance with undertaking.

Police prosecutor Courtney Brown said police were called to reports of a person inside the Ergon Energy complex on Glenmore Road, Park Avenue, on June 5 at 1.50am and that the person was seen where the copper wire was located.

Ms Brown said a police dog was deployed and Cox was found behind copper wire drums and was bitten by the dog.

Riley James Cox, 19, appeared in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on July 22, 2022.

She said police saw a number of 1.5m lengths of 12mm copper wire wrapped in black tape, as well as a number of shorter cut lengths of copper wire in a bag.

Cox was transported to hospital along with another person who was arrested at the scene and also bitten by the police dog.

Ms Brown said Cox told police he had walked to Ergon with the intent to strip copper wire and sell it for money to pay for food and a night in a hotel as he’d had a rough few days.

“The theft of copper wire is all too common in our community and unfortunately leaves businesses at quite a large expense,” she said.

Ergon Energy Glenmore Road Depot. Picture: Google Maps

“It is often hard to ascertain the amount of copper taken. It is a moderate to serious example of this type of offending.”

Ms Brown said Cox had also failed to appear in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on July 15.

Defence lawyer Rebecca Harris said her client was not working and receiving Youth Allowance through Centrelink.

Ms Harris said at the time of the offending her client was not receiving those payments as they were suspended by Centrelink due to him not attending a meeting with them.

“His Centrelink payments were cut off, he was struggling financially, he didn’t have a job,” she said.

“He is now back on Centrelink.”

Cox was ordered to 12 months’ probation with no criminal convictions recorded.