Aaron Little, 32, pleads guilty to criminal damage, theft of motor vehicle and drug charges

A Grovedale man was at a “low point” in his life when he was caught with drugs and sleeping in a shed at a local primary school, a court heard.

Grovedale Primary School. Picture: Google Maps

A Grovedale man was at a “low point” in his life when he was caught with drugs and sleeping in a shed at a local primary school, a court heard.

Aaron Little, 32, pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday to criminal damage, theft of a motor vehicle and possessing a drug of dependence.

On September 21 last year, police responded to a welfare check on Mercer St in Geelong and found Little “heavily affected” by drugs.

A small vial, believed to contain about 10 to 15ml of GHB, was found nearby as well as a small bag of methamphetamine, weighing about 0.55g.

On January 13 this year, a witness called triple-0 after seeing two people attempt to get into a shed at Grovedale Primary School.

Police found the shed’s roller door was damaged and could hear people talking inside.

Little and another woman were coaxed out of the shed and arrested.

Officers found a balaclava, gloves, drug paraphernalia, two plastic containers sealed with duct tape and a number of personal belongings inside the shed.

The court heard they had been sleeping there for an unknown period of time.

Little told police the balaclava was a “gag present” and that they had found the gloves inside the shed.

On June 20 this year, Little and another man arrived at the Italian Sports Club in Werribee about 4pm in a black Jeep Cherokee, which the court heard was stolen on June 16.

The pair was inside the club for about 25 minutes before they left, stealing a number of tools from the car parked next to the vehicle they arrived in.

The court heard Little made no comments about the offences during a police interview and the tools have not been recovered.

Little’s lawyer told the court her client was at a “low point” in his life at the time of the offending after the sudden death of a friend and had turned to drugs to cope.

His drug use led to him becoming homeless and making poor decisions, but he was now self-detoxing, his lawyer said.

“The drive of the offending was his drug use,” Little’s lawyer said.

“He has taken steps to address his behaviour and rehabilitate himself.”

Magistrate Urfa Masood was pleased Little was getting his life back on track.

“The passing of your close friend had a big impact on you,” she said.

 “It’s important you get some professional support moving forward and you need to deal with these issues of grief and loss … and look at why you turn to drugs.”

Little was convicted and placed on a good behaviour bond until February 7 next year with special conditions.

Originally published as Aaron Little, 32, pleads guilty to criminal damage, theft of motor vehicle and drug charges