Broadmeadows Magistrates Court: Adam Teuma ‘James Scoble’ pleads guilty to burglary and possessing ammunition

A gold digging forklifter who broke into multiple properties while carrying ammunition has been told to grow up.

Adam Teuma, AKA James Scoble, pleaded guilty to burglary and possessing ammunition at Broadmeadows Magistrates Court. Picture: Facebook.

A Roxburgh Park man who broke into multiple properties gold digging while carrying ammunition has been told to grow up.

Adam Teuma, 46, who also goes by James Scoble, pleaded guilty at the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court to a raft of charges after he was caught trespassing.

In December 2021, Teuma entered a construction site in Kalkallo but a motion sensor camera notified the owner of trespassers on the property.

Afraid of being robbed, the victim called the police, who found the forklifter making his escape in a white Toyota Hilux ute.

When police pulled him over, Teuma lied and told them his name was “Bradley” but later confirmed his real name.

During a police search, a 12 gauge shotgun cartridge was found in Teuma’s bag.

When asked the reason for carrying ammunition, Teuma told cops he found it while gold-digging dumped scrap at the back of Kalkallo housing estates.

The court also heard Teuma trespassed another Kalkallo home last year and was caught hiding behind the garage shed when police tried to arrest him.

He was also caught stealing copper pipes from a demolition site in Craigieburn last year.

Adam Teuma

Defence lawyer Catherine Azzopardi said her client had his “life on track” and was “moving forward”.

“He has two sons and tries to see them as often as he can,” she said.

“His father passed away, and his mum has dementia.”

She said he was living in a caravan park for a while but had since moved in with friends.

Magistrate Carolyn Burnside said warned that jail was “on the cards” as burglary was a serious offence.

However, Teuma told the court his intentions were never to steal and he only entered the property because it was vacant.

“I had a gold detector, and I was gold digging properties along the Hume Fwy,” he told the court.

“There was a big gap between a farm, so I walked through it.

“I was looking for steel scrap.”

Ms Burnside said it was no excuse, and Teuma still trespassed on someone else’s property.

“You’re so old now, but you are not learning,” she said.

Teuma was convicted, placed on a community corrections order for 12 months and ordered to forfeit the ammunition.