Burnie man Nicholas Kyle Jones, 30, to be sentenced for shoplifting, break-ins after guilty plea

A serial petty thief who was driven to steal from shops, houses and cars in Burnie to feed his ice addiction has made a desperate plea to a magistrate. WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT >>

A SERIAL thief who stole vehicles, alcohol, tools and electronics to feed his addiction to the drug ‘ice’ will soon be sentenced for a litany of offences across his home town.

Nicholas Kyle Jones, 30, of Burnie, has pleaded guilty to committing a series of offences last year including shoplifting, breaking into people’s houses, yards and cards to pilfer goods to exchange for drugs.

In the Burnie Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Magistrate Katie Edwards heard Jones, who had been employed as a ranger and forklift driver before he fell into drugs, had been captured on CCTV at a local bottle shop and hardware store stealing goods.

“All his offending relates to his drug use and he has lost nearly everything to drugs,” Jones’ lawyer Stephen Wright said.

But Magistrate Edwards asked him “when do we say enough?”

Nicholas Kyle Jones. Picture: Supplied.

Jones was eventually banned from visiting the Bunnings store in Burnie but months later was again caught stealing a blowtorch from the same premises.

Jones also broke into a unit at the Top of the Town Hotel and numerous cars around Burnie to steal goods including designer sunglasses and several debit cards used to buy cigarettes.

The court heard Jones pumped petrol at a Burnie petrol station and took off without paying for the fuel and broke into a childcare centre to see what he could steal, but was interrupted.

Prosecutors told Magistrate Edwards that Jones had been pulled over multiple times by police while driving without a licence. On one occasion he was found to have a syringe containing the drug ice in his pocket.

The motor vehicle theft was related to an incident in which Jones was staying at someone’s house when he took her car without permission and passed it onto someone else in exchange for drugs.

The vehicle has never been recovered.

In July, last year Jones entered a house in Burnie and took a pressure washer from the backyard, then in August, when he was living with his mother, took her soundbar from her living room and again sold it for drugs.

Jones was remanded in custody to appear in court again for sentence. Magistrate Edwards will also consider whether Jones has the ability to see a court-mandated program through to its end.

Originally published as Burnie man Nicholas Kyle Jones, 30, to be sentenced for shoplifting, break-ins after guilty plea