Mildura crook Roderick Smith knocks himself out in botched Colorbond fence escape
A serial bike thief knocked himself out after falling from a fence while on the road from cops — who then found a 47cm machete in his pocket.
A bumbling Mildura crook knocked himself unconscious in a tumble from a fence while trying to flee police, a court has heard.
Roderick Smith fronted Mildura Magistrates’ Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to a raft of offences from a crime spree across 2025.
The court heard police busted Smith in April with a pushbike that had been stolen from the Big 4 caravan park on Deakin Ave just days earlier.
When questioned by police he told them he had paid for the bike and it belonged to him — he later admitted he thought the bike might be stolen, but the price made it a purchase too good to refuse.
In August he was busted on CCTV at Cappy’s Corner Store on San Mateo Ave using a stolen debit card and later in the month he refused to stop and speak with police when they saw him riding a bike on Ontario Ave.
Instead, Smith fled to a block of units on Tenth St and scaled a Colorbond fence before falling on his head, knocking himself out, before police found a 47cm machete in his pocket.
It was revealed in court he required eight stitches to his head and a further six stitches in his arm at hospital.
“It's a wonder he didn’t cause more damage with the weapon he had concealed,” Magistrate Michael Coghlan said.
In September he was caught on CCTV pinching a bike from the bike rack at Mildura Waves aquatic and leisure centre.
In the early hours of December 1, police spotted Smith and another person riding pushbikes on Etiwanda Ave and attempted to get them to stop.
Police arrested him as he was entering a Hornsey Park address where it was revealed
he was breaching a bail curfew, and had a small amount of methamphetamine in his pocket.
Smith’s lawyer Rebecca Boreham said her client suffered from an intellectual disability, had a chaotic home life and a crippling addiction to methamphetamine.
Ms Boreham described his crimes as “unsophisticated offending with not a great deal of planning or gain”, submitting time served would be an adequate punishment.
It was revealed in court that he was facing a likely breach of a County Court-imposed community correction order.
Mr Coghlan convicted and discharged Smith on a number of charges, but sentenced him to four days behind bars on the theft and handling of stolen goods.
