Shepparton crime: Tyson Ralph pleads guilty to Broadford burglary

A Shepparton thief stole thousands from a regional Victorian home but it’s the Zooper Dooper he took from the freezer that was his biggest mistake.

Tyson Ralph pleaded guilty to breaking into a Broadford home.

A Shepparton man who helped himself to a Zooper Dooper while breaking into a Broadford home was caught out by the rubbish he left behind, a court has heard.

Tyson Ralph pleaded guilty to charges including burglary, theft of a firearm and handling stolen goods in Melbourne County Court on Monday.

The court heard police were able to connect the 35-year-old to the burglary, which occurred in October last year, after swabbing two empty Zooper Dooper wrappers found on the floor in the garage and finding traces of his DNA.

Ralph broke into the Broadford property when no one was home, stealing items including a box of .22 calibre cartridge ammunition, jewellery, car keys and a Colorado branded handbag.

He also located a rifle stored in a safe in the master bedroom wardrobe, opening it with a key found in a draw and bending the handle lock.

Tyson Ralph was undone by an icy pole wrapper he left behind.

In the garage, Ralph found a Honda motorcycle belonging to the victim’s grandson which he pushed across the road to a school adjacent to the property.

At the school, Ralph went into a shed where he moved around a range of equipment in an attempt to set up a bed.

He also tried to gain access to the school’s staffroom by forcing open a window and removing an air vent from the bottom of a door to the room.

But a school cleaner noticed the air vent missing before pushing a filing cabinet across the hole to stop anyone gaining access.

Ralph left the school with a stolen handbag, motorbike and handbag.

He was identified by police on CCTV footage and arrested at his home on November 2.

Ralph’s defence lawyer Christopher Terry said his client was using drugs at the time of the incident.

He will be sentenced on Friday.

[e-mail]