NSW bushfires: South coast looters jailed for ‘despicable’ crimes
A pair of “grubs” who twice robbed a fire-damaged shop on the NSW south coast during the recent bushfires have been thrown into jail.
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A pair of “grubs” who twice robbed a fire-damaged shop on the NSW south coast during the recent bushfires have been thrown into jail.
Leon Elton and Kylie Eva Pobjie broke into Betta Electrical at Batemans Bay on January 8, stealing more than $20,000 worth of stock.
Elton, 37, and Pobjie, 32, were both sentenced on Monday to a minimum six months’ jail. Addressing Elton in Batemans Bay Local Court, magistrate Doug Dick described his crimes as “despicable” given the bushfire crisis.
“Every day it’s just a raw reminder of what you did,” the magistrate said.
Elton’s lawyer Adam Sumbak said his client’s family would be the main ones to feel the south coast community’s wrath for his crimes.
The court heard about Elton’s problems with drugs, which developed into psychotic episodes like the one he claimed to have been in when he robbed the store.
Elton, from Tilba Tilba, appeared via video link from prison and spoke only to address the magistrate.
His co-accused Pobjie, from Narooma, appeared in prison greens with her partner in court to support her.
Pobjie’s lawyer pointed to the fact she had phoned the police to admit to the crimes.
“I have no doubt what you have done at the time weighed heavily on your mind,” Mr Dick said.
But the magistrate said emotions in the community were still running high with the region not yet out of danger. “People expect courts to respond,” Mr Dick said.
The court heard Pobjie, a mother of four, had previously been in an abusive relationship.
Her lawyer said she hadn’t originally planned to rob the store. Rather, she and Elton had travelled to the Batemans Bay area for drugs.
Elton and Pobjie later returned to loot the store a second time that night.
With their sentences backdated to January, the earliest the pair will be eligible for release is July.
When the two looters were arrested in early January, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller blasted them for taking advantage of the bushfires. “These looters are absolute grubs,” Mr Fuller said. He promised additional police in fire zones would ensure looters felt the full force of the law.
A third person remains in custody charged with receiving stolen goods. He has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on February 10.
Originally published as NSW bushfires: South coast looters jailed for ‘despicable’ crimes
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