Booze and heroin: Addict thought he was better until this happened

A man who took up drinking and drugs because of an horrific childhood had been ‘clean’ until a family crisis derailed his life.

A recovering alcoholic and heroin addict went on a four-month shoplifting spree at Garden City Shopping Centre in Brisbane’s south after learning of a horrific attack on a relative.

Stephen Edward Booth, 51, of Daisy Hill, had battled booze and drugs for four decades but was on the mend until learning of the attack, his lawyer told Holland Park Magistrates Court.

Burns Law principal, Robert Burns, said after reading his client’s 15-page criminal history he initially thought there could only be “one sentence’’ handed down by the court.

But after hearing Booth’s haunting account of his violent upbringing, which forced him to take up alcohol at the age of 11, he realised Booth deserved another chance.

“He had a most tragic upbringing. His parents had a tumultuous relationship and divorced when he was five,’’ Mr Burns said.

“He lived with his mother until he was nine, then lived with his father who was (Booth alleged) very violent.

“He started running away when he was 11 and would be, in his words, flogged when he returned, so he started living on the streets to escape the violence at home.

“He began stealing to survive and admits it was difficult to break free of a habit which (enabled him to survive).’’

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Booth spent stints at the notorious Sir Leslie Wilson and Westbrook detention centres where the abuse and violence continued, Mr Burns said.

“Not surprisingly, he began drinking at 11 and was taking heroin at 16.

“Drugs and property offences then became littered throughout his history.’’

Despite that, Booth had taken huge steps to reform himself after his last jail stint, including attending Alcoholics Anonymous and going on the methadone program to kick his heroin habit.

But he said Booth again took solace in alcohol after learning of the tragedy which befell a family member.

He was in jail at the time and felt partly responsible because he was not around to stop it.

Police prosecutor, Sgt Elen French, said Booth admitted to a series of stealing offences at Garden City Shopping centre in Upper Mt Gravatt over a four-month period between July and October last year.

CCTV footage showed him jemmying open display cabinets at two kiosks and stealing sunglasses and headphones.

Other CCTV footage captured him shoplifting bottles of alcohol from BWS outlets at Garden City and Fairfield.

When police went to his Daisy Hill home with a search warrant in November, 2019, they also found $1384.50 in items stolen from several Garden City stores, most with price or security tags still attached.

Sgt French said Booth, who pleaded guilty to six charges of stealing, receiving tainted property, and entering with intent, admitted to police that he was the man in the CCTV images. Fingerprints at the crime scenes also confirmed his identity.

Magistrate Sue Ganasan adjourned procedures for 20 minutes, telling the court she needed time to consider her ruling because of the huge impact it could have on Booth’s life.

When she returned, she told Booth that she took into account his guilty pleas, his attempts to reform and his difficult upbringing, but said that was no justification for his crimes.

Ms Ganasan sentenced him to seven months’ imprisonment, to be served in the community in the form of an intensive correction order, and recorded convictions on all charges.

She also ordered Booth pay restitution for the stolen items.