Corey Allen: Clematis roof plumber caught with drugs, items from car crash scene
A Clematis man with a history of drug abuse sank to new lows while out walking his dog, stealing items from the scene of a car crash.
South East
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A man out walking his dog after an argument with his girlfriend stole half a car key, cigarettes and a motorcycle helmet from a crash scene, a court has heard.
Clematis’ Corey Allen, 20, faced Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on June 16 after being arrested and spending overnight in custody.
He pleaded guilty to charges from three separate incidents dating back to March 2021.
The court heard Allen was spotted by police moments after a crash involving a silver Audi Sedan about 1.55am on June 16 on the corner of Wellington Rd and Cardinia Rd in Narre Warren East.
He was walking his dog at Aura Vera Lake following an argument with his girlfriend, and officers found him in possession of some cigarettes, a motorbike helmet and half an Audi car key.
They searched Allen and also found 15ml of GHB and an empty water bottle in his jacket, and placed him under arrest.
He was questioned at Knox police station and confessed to taking the items from the crash scene, saying he did so for “no real reason”.
Officers also found .15 grams of cocaine inside his wallet, and said he was “slowly cutting down” when asked about the drugs he possessed.
The court also heard Allen, who was yet to obtain his drivers’ licence, had been pulled up by police on the Princes Highway in Pakenham on April 5, and on the South Gippsland Highway in Cranbourne on March 4, 2021, after he crashed a car into a traffic light.
In the Pakenham incident, he was caught in possession of a small amount of cannabis, while in the Cranbourne incident, he recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.042, above the required legal limit of zero for unlicensed drivers.
Allen’s defence lawyer, Rebecca McDougall, said her client also had prior issues using ice, and he was “very shaken up and remorseful” as it was his first time in custody.
When asked about his drug habits by Magistrate Mia Stylianou, Allen said he used to take drugs “every single day” and that he “never slept”, but was trying to get them out of his life with the help of his girlfriend.
“I don’t feel like it's a habit anymore, I do it rarely, I’ve got my new girlfriend and she doesn’t want me anywhere near it,” Allen said.
“I’m sleeping every night again and eating, I’m that close to not even looking at them again.”
Allen, who had worked as a roof plumber but had not been working recently, also said his boss wanted him to return to his job and “wants me to get clean and stuff, and pull my head in”.
Ms Stylianou told Allen he potentially faced years in jail if continued to commit similar crimes, and to not “mess up your life with drugs”.
She allowed Allen to be released on a 12-month good behaviour bond, ordered he get counselling as part of a mental health care plan, and banned him from obtaining his driver’s licence for three months.
“Let me be clear, if you don’t have a licence, you just don’t drive,” Ms Stylianou said.
“After that three months is over, go and get your licence, get it going, but don’t drive unlicensed, because unlicensed driving, you can go to jail for that too.”
