Possession of stolen goods from ‘doing a bloke a favour’

The Grafton man had goods allegedly stolen from a construction company working on the Clarence Correctional Centre project stored at his property.

A South Grafton man has faced court over possession of stolen copper wire.

A South Grafton man has faced court after pleading guilty to being in possession of $700 of copper wire, allegedly stolen from a construction company working on the Clarence Correctional Centre project.

Jay Petagna, 47, appeared in Grafton Local Court on Monday where he was convicted of receiving property involved in theft (value greater than $5000).

According to court documents, the firm NJ Construction was contracted to undertake major electrical works at the Clarence Correctional Centre in 2019, and had set up an office at the old Clarence Valley Council depot on Schwinghammer St, South Grafton, which contained shipping containers stored in the fenced off yard where all the company tools, machinery and equipment was being stored.

A police strike force had been established to investigate an unrelated matter, which involved an intercept warrant taken out on calls made by James Cook.

Court documents show that about 3.28pm on June 11, 2019, Mr Cook rang Petagna where police will allege he disclosed plans to break into the depot.

According to police allegations in court documents about 10pm June 13 Mr Cook and another man Aaron Godwin were recorded on phone intercepts discussing the break and enter. Sometime between 12.30am and 2.30am Mr Cook and Mr Godwin are alleged to have cut through a hole in the perimeter fence and break into two storage containers, stealing various construction tools and equipment, including two large rolls of copper wire.

The court heard that about 2.30am Godwin allegedly contacted another man Clay Healey, who later arrived at the scene and then helped the two other men load stolen goods into the vehicle before driving away from the scene.

About 5am Cook allegedly contacted Petagna and told him that he had two rolls of copper, and by 7.30pm he had dropped the stolen goods off at his house, however later that night Petagna was arrested for an unrelated matter and Cook allegedly relocated the copper wire from his property.

In court on Monday Petagna's solicitor Joe Fahey said his client "did a bloke a favour" and wound up in court.

The court heard the copper wire was later sold for $700, and Mr Fahey said the offence was at the lower end of the scale, with his client's actions exhibiting a "low level of criminality".

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden said receiving stolen property was an offence which facilitates serious crime, but acknowledged that his actions were at the lower end of the spectrum.

Petagna was convicted and sentenced to a community corrections order for 12 months.

Clay Robert Healey, 23, pleaded guilty in Lismore District Court in December last year to being an accessory after the fact, was convicted and sentenced to a two-year community corrections order.

Mr Godwin is scheduled to defend a charge of aggravated break-and-enter involving theft of more than $60,000 worth of goods before Grafton District Court from May 20 this year.

Mr Cook has yet to enter plea to charges of aggravated break-and-enter involving theft of more than $60,000 worth of goods and receiving stolen property of more than $5000. His matter was mentioned in Grafton Local Court this week and was adjourned to March 2.

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