Essendon North: Jack Smith breaks into Coles Express
A seasoned burglar smashed his way into an Essendon North service station and kicked in someone’s front door because he was unemployed, poor and bored — and the Newstart allowance didn’t fund his lifestyle, a court has heard.
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A man used a sledge hammer and crowbar to smash into a service station just days before he broke into and ransacked a locked unit.
Witnesses called police on Jack Smith and his accomplice during both incidents, leading to him being arrested as he tried to sell gold jewellery he had just stolen.
The seasoned burglar fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 27, with his lawyer citing unemployment, poverty and boredom as the reasons for the crimes.
The court heard the 30-year-old stole a blue Holden Cruze in the early hours of January 7, which he reversed up to the front doors of Coles Express Essendon North.
Acting Sergeant McErlain said Smith, who was wearing a white cloth over his face, and an unknown co-offender, then used a sledge hammer and crowbar to smash the glass doors.
But they didn’t get much further with the break-in after a witness phoned 000, causing the pair to flee in the car.
Smith then stole number plates from two Mazdas parked in a Bundoora street overnight on January 14-15, replacing one set with another stolen set.
He and a friend then drove to a block of units in Ballarat Rd, Footscray, in a Mazda fitted with the stolen number plates about 11.50am on January 15.
Act Sgt McErlain said the pair knocked on the doors of several units before they found an unoccupied one, kicking the front door in.
The pair ransacked the home, stealing electrical devices, computer equipment, jewellery and a Mazda car key.
The court heard Smith drove away from the scene in the resident’s Mazda while a witness called police during the burglary.
Smith and his mate then drove to Diamond Jim gold buyers in Preston in the stolen Mazda about 2.45pm, before police arrested them at the store minutes later.
Smith had a stolen gold, jewelled brooch on him, while stolen jewellery bags, electrical items, a screwdriver and gloves were found in the car.
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Police also found texts about sourcing fraudulent number plates on Smith’s phone.
Smith’s licence was cancelled at the time of the incidents and that he was on a community corrections order issued by the County Court.
His lawyer explained Smith was unemployed at the time of the crimes and living in an Airbnb in Bundoora, with the fortnightly Newstart payment not enough to fund his lifestyle.
He said Smith suffered from ADHD and drug addictions.
The court heard Smith had spent much of his adult life in jail for similar offences.
Magistrate Helen Murphy sentenced Smith to eight month’s jail, noting he had already served 133 days since his arrest.