‘Reeks of desperation’: Victoria Point man allegedly targets disabled person, steals a thousand in cigarettes over Woollies counter
A court has heard a man police allege stole $1000 dollars in cigarettes and the wallet off a disabled person, had his arm broken with a baseball bat in a suspected drug debt reprisal.
Redlands Coast
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A MOTHER has thanked a magistrate for keeping her son behind bars after he allegedly stole $1000 worth of cigarettes from a Woolworths counter and a wallet from a disabled person.
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Max Peter Nation, 27, had his bail denied while appearing at the Cleveland Magistrates Court on Monday and nursed a broken arm suspected by a magistrate to have been shattered with a baseball bat for a drug debt.
The court heard Nation, a former Victoria Point man now living in Southport, had allegedly leaned over a Cleveland Woolworths counter on June 27 to “brazenly” steal $1000 in cigarettes.
He was further alleged to have stolen the wallet of an elderly disabled person dependant on a cane at a self checkout counter.
And he was alleged to have stolen a $500 mower from a Bunnings on March 10.
The defendant was also alleged to have been found with a broken Ice pipe when he was arrested.
Magistrate Dehorah Vasta said Nation’s criminal history and alleged offending “reeked of desperation” to fund a drug addiction and granting him bail would “set him up for failure”.
“He has a lot of (criminal) history of drugs and stealings and frauds and enter premises,” Magistrate Vasta said.
Nation’s mother, who was present at court, said her son was diagnosed with Schizophrenia for which he was seeing a psychiatrist and agreed with the magistrate that he was safer kept in custody.
The court heard Nation’s arm had been broken with a baseball bat in what Magistrate Vasta suspected was an alleged drug debt reprisal.
Defence solicitor Kate Fuller said Nation had worked off and on in construction at his parents’ company and planned on staying at a mate’s house should he be granted bail.
Ms Fuller said the alleged theft of the wallet did not include violence.
Nation is scheduled to next appear at the court on July 17.