Manly winger Mitch Creary‘s British bulldog returned by community sleuths

The online community has helped track down Hank, a former NRL player’s $8500 British bulldog, who was dognapped from out the back of his pub on the south coast.

A couple who stole a British bulldog owned by former Manly winger Mitch Creary were caught out when news of the theft went viral on social media.

Rosalind Marie-Elaine Freear, 48 of Candelo and Louie Azzam, 60, from Cooma, pleaded guilty to stealing Mr Creary’s dog Hank in Bega Local Court on May 11.

The dognapper’s lawyer Tony Cullinan told the court Freear was “an animal lover” who spotted the pet at the drive-through bottle shop of the Commercial Hotel in Bega, run by Mr Creary, before luring the animal into her van along with Azzam.

Louie Azzam and Rosalind Freear outside Bega Local Court on May 11. Picture: Alasdair McDonald

“It’s now realised she shouldn’t have tried to take Hank,” Mr Cullinan told the court.

The court heard it was Freear’s idea to steal the animal, and Azzam “went along” with the plan.

“He’s pretty clear that he doesn’t even like animals,” Mr Cullinan told the court.

Mr Cullinan told the court the couple hadn’t planned the theft, and had acted spontaneously.

“She (Freear) hadn’t been thinking properly,” he told the court. “Ultimately this is out of character for her.”

The court heard news of the theft soon went viral on social media, sparking community outrage and amateur sleuthing which led to the discovery of Hank.

Court documents reveal Freear and Azzam were sitting in their white Hyundai van in the driveway area of the hotel’s bottle shop when they spotted the dog walking around the pub.

The court heard it is common for Hank, who was bought by Mr Creary for $8500, to spend the whole day at the popular pub.

Former Manly player Mitch Creary's beloved dog Hank. Picture: Facebook

Mitch Creary played for Manly in the 2000s. Picture: Ros Cannon

Azzam lured the animal into the van by offering him food, before two witnesses approached the couple after seeing a husky also sitting in the back, the documents state.

The witnesses told police they were suspicious of Azzam and Freear, who claimed they owned the animal.

Azzam then became “hostile and aggressive” towards the witnesses, who backed away, fearing for their safety and took a photograph of the van’s number plate, the document states.

Mr Creary’s son, who was working in the bottle shop at the time contacted his father, who played for Manly between 2002 and 2006, who then posted about the theft online.

Outraged community members tracked down Freear and Azzam, eventually handing the former NRL player Freear’s phone number.

Mitch Creary's dog Hank was stolen from the Commercial Hotel bottle shop, owned by Creary, in Bega. Picture: Google Maps

“You can have your dog back if you give me two grand,” Azzam was heard to say over the phone to Mr Creary, the documents state.

They then told Mr Creary they would take the dog to the vet before returning it to him, however police state in the documents the call to the vet was only made after the pair were outed by the community in an attempt to “fabricate an alibi”.

When police arrived at Freear’s Candelo home, she denied any involvement in the theft, the documents state.

Magistrate Dick sentenced Freear to a six-month conditional release order without a conviction, and Azzam, who the magistrate said has a “quite lengthy” criminal record, was convicted and fined $250.