Mildura Magistrates’ Court: Lynkon Thorpe pleads guilty to two counts of theft and breach of a corrections order

A lowlife Mildura crook stole a woman’s wallet at the pokies and was later found getting about town on a stolen bike.

Lynkon Thorpe from Mildura has fronted Magistrate Michael Coghlan after stealing a woman’s wallet at a regional pokies lounge.

A Mildura man who stole a woman’s wallet from next to a pokie machine was also found in in possession of a bicycle involved in a home burglary.

Lynkon Thorpe, 21, pleaded guilty in the Mildura Magistrates’ Court on September 26 to two theft charges and to breaching a community corrections order.

The first incident occurred in December 2022, when Thorpe’s victim was playing the pokies at a Mildura hotel.

The 60-year-old woman unknowingly dropped her wallet and a $50 note to the floor when she moved machines.

Another woman found the wallet and money on the ground and placed both items onto a surface next to the machine, before Thorpe swiped them, but not before he was caught on CCTV

Thorpe was later arrested in March 2023, when police saw him walking down a Mildura street with a bike.

Police identified the bicycle through a QR code on the frame, revealing it had been stolen.

Officers took Thorpe into custody and later interviewed him, where he gave no comment regarding either incident.

In court on Tuesday, Thorpe pleaded guilty to both charges, as well as to breaching a community corrections order for a separate matter to be heard in the County Court next year.

Magistrate Michael Coghlan said he would deliver a financial penalty to Thorpe for the two theft charges, but thought it was “inappropriate” to fine him regarding the corrections order breach, due to previous time spent on remand.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to fine him or to order him to complete unpaid community work when he’s already spent a significant amount of time in custody.”

Mr Coghlan said Thorpe should “appreciate the corrections order” after his time in custody.

“If you can get through this over the next seven months, it will put you in a good stead of the County Court,” he said.

Mr Coghlan extended the order to 18 months, removing the unpaid community service element of the order.

Thorpe was fined a total of $500 for both theft charges and was ordered to pay $100 restitution for the stolen wallet.

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