Eli Rustin Pilton, Dylan Mark Cheers plead guilty to break and enters

Two Sunshine Coast men in the grips of an ice addiction have been told their crime spree wasn’t exactly “Ocean’s 11” after they stole vehicles, robbed stores and burnt their getaway cars.

A pair of Sunshine Coast burglars who broke into homes, stole cars and robbed stores before setting their getaway vehicles on fire have had their exploits labelled as “not Ocean’s 11”.

Eli Rustin Pilton of Moy Pocket and Dylan Mark Cheers of Currimundi, both 24, received jail sentences with immediate parole for their part in a string of break and enters in March and April, 2020.

Maroochydore District Court was told the two men, fuelled by meth, conducted a series of break and enters over a five-week period.

Crown prosecutor Greg Cummings said Pilton and Cheers would steal from cars and homes and use some of the vehicles they stole to rob shops and pharmacies for cigarettes, jewellery and other items.

Mr Cummings told the court the pair had set fire to their cars after some of the burglaries.

This continued until their arrest on April 15, 2020.

The crime spree had a “commercial tinge” to it according to Mr Cummings who said the offending escalated as it dragged on over the five weeks.

Judge Glen Cash accepted it was not just a “snatch and grab” but questioned the commerciality of the break and enters.

“It’s not Ocean’s 11 either,” he said.

Defence barrister James Feely, acting for Pilton, told the court the 24-year-old former roofer was using up to half a gram of meth a day during the spree, with the offending driving his addiction.

Both men had spent almost two years in custody due to delays in developing the brief of evidence as well as late responses by the prosecution to submissions.

Pilton and Cheers had spent almost the entire period of Covid-19 in custody and were subjected to months of restrictions and hard lockdowns in the prisons.

Mr Feely said there was an amount of property recovered from the pair’s offending with large portions of losses covered by insurance.

Judge Cash said the community would’ve had to bear the cost due to increased insurance premiums.

Defence barrister Nathan Turner, acting for Cheers, said the dad was also under the influence of meth during the five-week spree and would work as a labourer following his release.

The court heard both men had made steps to address their drug issues while in prison.

Judge Cash said the pair had cost the community tens of thousands of dollars due to their choice of using meth but acknowledged they had spent “two wasted years” in custody due to court delays.

Cheers and Pilton pleaded guilty to 19 and 21 charges respectively including several counts of unlawful use of motor vehicles, breaking and entering, arson, and stealing.

Pilton was sentenced to two years’ jail and was given immediate parole, while Cheers was sentenced to three years’ jail and was released on immediate parole, with 700 days in pre sentence custody recorded as time served for Cheers.

Convictions were recorded.