Michael Leslie Slater in court for breaking into storage units
A NSW truckie turned Queensland storage centre worker, caught on camera stealing from customers, admits his crimes were “stupid”.
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A former National Storage facility worker watched online tutorials on break-ins and then stole from customers three times to pay for Christmas presents.
Michael Leslie Slater, 64, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court to three counts of entering premises and committing an indictable offence by a break-in.
Slater worked at the National Storage facility for two and a half years before deciding to commit the self-described “stupid acts”, the court heard.
Conversations with the two victims, a 43-year-old and 20-year-old man, allowed Slater the opportunity to view the valuable items they had chosen to store at the Urangan facility.
On November 6, 2023, while the store was empty except for himself, Slater used a cordless drill to remove metal sheeting between the first victim’s storage unit and an empty unit beside it.
Slater had learnt how to do this from “watching videos online of others breaking into storage units”, court heard.
Removing this sheeting gave him access to the victim’s unit where he stole a chainsaw, fishing rods and a four-wheel drive recovery track.
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Slater would repeat the trick on November 14 when he stole a cordless vacuum from the 20-year-old’s unit.
He then targeted his first victim again on December 13, this time stealing tackle boxes and other fishing equipment.
All three acts were caught on CCTV cameras.
On December 15, the National Storage operations manager contacted Slater informing him they knew he had stolen the property.
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They ordered he return it all, but he told them items such as the tackle box, fishing rods, vacuum and recovery track had been sold on Facebook for $650.
He was only able to return the tackle box and rods, which he surrendered to Hervey Bay Police Station on December 24 and was given notice on December 31 to face court.
The police prosecutor told the court Slater had stolen the items to pay for Christmas presents for his friends and family.
Self-represented, Slade apologised for his actions.
“If I have got to be punished, let me be punished for this stupid act I did,” he said.
“I have helped the police in every matter to help them get to the bottom of this.”
Originally from Coffs Harbour, the father of two had previously worked as a truck driver cashier and wrecking yard manager.
He told the court he was now a part-time carer for his elderly mother-in-law who had dementia.
“The depression I am going to put on my wife and her mother because of this worries me,” he told the court.
Labelling his actions an “egregious act of dishonesty,” Mrs McGarvie sentenced Slater to six months jail, suspended for a year.
Convictions were recorded.
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