Elderly man offers lawn mowing job, car stolen as thanks

A GRAFTON man has been sentenced for stealing the car of a man who offered him a place to stay and a job mowing his lawn.

gavel, court, generic

AFTER offering a homeless man a lawn mowing job, a meal and a roof over his head, all the thanks a Lawrence man got was his car stolen.

Brian John Wright, 33, appeared in Grafton Local Court on Monday after pleading guilty to stealing an elderly man's vehicle after mowing his lawn for him earlier this year.

According to the police facts tendered to the court, the victim lived at Lawrence on a remote rural property around 15km west of town, and due to a prior leg injury was unable to mow his lawn.

On the afternoon of Wednesday April 29, 2020, the victim went to Grafton and picked up Wright on the terms that he was going to mow the victim's lawn for him.

Wright mowed the lawn, and the victim offered for him a place to stay for the night as Wright was without a fixed place of address. The victim also offered Wright a meal and a lift back to Grafton the next day.

The victim went to bed about 8.30pm, and some time during the night Wright stole the victim's mobile phone and keys to his motor vehicle. Wright then drove the vehicle from the residence without knowledge or consent of the victim.

When the victim woke at 7am the next day he found his Mitsubishi Pajero and phone stolen, and reported the matter to police.

About 12.18pm Thursday April 30, the stolen car was sighted by police parked outside a Grafton address, and Wright was spotted in the vehicle but fled on foot after spotting the police vehicle.

Wright ran into a residence, and at 12.35pm police entered and found Wright hiding under a blanket in a bedroom of the house.

While police were attempting to handcuff Wright he began to thrash his arms and legs and violently resisted the three police officers who were trying to arrest him.

Wright pleaded guilty to take and drive conveyance without consent of owner, licence expired two years or more and resist officer in execution of duty.

Magistrate Michael Dakin sentenced Wright to eight months behind bars, with a non-parole period of six months.

• We are pleased to clarify that the Brian Wright referred to in this article is not the Brian Wright who lives at King Creek Road in Lawrence.

Originally published as