Burglar’s sweet tooth and forgetfulness led to his eventual arrest after break-in and assault
A drugged-up thief broke into a house construction site, stealing tools, a wheelbarrow and even a vacuum cleaner. But in his ice-high state he forgot something important.
South East
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An ice-affected thief was tracked by police after he left his DNA at the scene of a burglary.
Jack Braydon Cowperthwaite was high when he broke into the site and stole power tools, a wheelbarrow and a vacuum cleaner – and he forgot to take his saliva-smeared coke can with him.
When police officers went to investigate it was a simple matter of matching Cowperthwaite’s DNA from the discarded drink to samples of his they had on file.
Cowperthwaite, who was on a corrections order at the time, also admitted “belting” his girlfriend in a row at her mum’s house, hitting her with the back of his fist multiple times.
The now 24-year-old pleaded guilty to burglary, theft, assault and criminal damage charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court today.
The court heard Cowperthwaite broke into the residential construction site in Frankston sometime between October 28 and November 8 last year by cutting through a chain.
On December 29 last year he went to see his partner at her mum’s house in Frankston when he became angry and refused to leave.
He “belted” the woman to the back of her head several times, and as he left he threw a rock through a bedroom window.
Officers tried to find him but couldn’t until March when they came across him at Frankston’s infamous Ambassador complex.
He admitted he was the burglar and that he had assaulted the woman.
His defence lawyer told the court Cowperthwaite had longstanding issues with drugs due to “hanging with the wrong crowd” which led to his offending.
He said he was alcohol-affected when he assaulted his former partner, which was an out-of-character crime for his client.
He said Cowperthwaite would be moving away from the Frankston area upon release and going to live with his mother in Glen Waverley.
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Magistrate Julian Ayres said Cowperthwaite’s crime would probably never have been solved but for the DNA he left behind.
He accepted he was remorseful, but warned him more of the same would lead to more time behind bars.
“The burglary was connected to you through your DNA,” Mr Ayres said.
“You are known to police, obviously your DNA is well-known.
“If you offend again you will end up back where you are (jail) pretty quickly.”
Cowperthwaite was jailed for 75 days, minus 42 days he has already served, and he must continue his community corrections order.