Thief steals from school, sex offender disobeys rules: all the matters in Wonthaggi court this week

From thefts to drug possession and illegal fires, Wonthaggi magistrates had a busy week. Read what happened.

A registered sex offender has pleaded guilty to failing to report contact with a child in Wonthaggi while staying at a makeshift “bush camp” where he also lit an illegal fire.

Another man has admitted to only growing nine cannabis plants to avoid getting into bigger trouble.

These are the cases from Wonthaggi Magistrates’ Court this week.

Light-fingered tool thief

Timothy Cousens, 51, appeared in the Wonthaggi Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to multiple theft and burglary charges after he was busted with meth before stealing from a high school.

Timothy Cousens, 51, appeared in the Wonthaggi Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where Magistrate Jacinta Studham said she was so impressed with his progress.

The court heard the Wonthaggi man’s charges dated back to December, when he broke into a woman’s home and stole her gardening tools.

When police carried out a warrant to look for the stolen tools they found nine cannabis plants growing in his backyard.

He told police he strictly kept his crop to nine plants because he “knew more would get [him] in trouble”.

Back in April Cousens picked up sunglasses, tools and a padlock from a store and shoved them under his clothing. He paid for a degasser but not the items stashed in his clothing, which amounted to $81.64.

When police arrested him over the thefts a few weeks later they found him in possession of a small bag of meth.

The following month he was busted outside Wonthaggi Woolworths with a small amount of cannabis which he told police was for “personal use”.

In September he went to the local Wonthaggi High School, McBride campus, with a backpack full of tools - including a tomahawk and hammer - to help him break in.

He entered the school through a window which had been left slightly ajar before cutting pieces of copper tubing from the building.

In court documents police referred to him as a “persistent and prolific thief and drug related offender”.

Cousens told the court he was taking steps to tackle his drug use.

Magistrate Jacinta Studham said she was “so impressed” with his progress since she adjourned sentencing about three months ago.

He will return to court next month.

Sex offender takes selfies with child

Another Wonthaggi man admitted to having a “lack of sense” after failing to report contact with a child at a bush camp, which he was required to do as a registered sex offender.

Richard Juricic, 51, appeared in the Wonthaggi Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to not reporting contact with a child, lighting an illegal fire and theft.

Juricic was residing at a makeshift “bush camp” in Wonthaggi wetlands in May when a family friend brought her child over to visit him.

They took some photos together which Juricic loaded onto his tablet. Later that evening he went to the Wonthaggi Police station where he showed officers pictures of his campsite.

An officer noticed the pictures of him with the child and questioned him about it.

He told the officer he had known the child since they had been born and he was “like an uncle” to them.

He admitted he had seen the child regularly but had not reported the contact as he had never had contact without the child's mother being there and the child had never stayed the night.

He told police he hadn’t reported the interactions due to a “lack of sense”.

He also faced charges for stealing a $57 bottle of alcohol and lighting a fire during the fire danger period so he could “clean up” his bush camp.

He later claimed he didn’t know he wasn’t allowed to light a fire at the time.

Juricic will return to court in February.