Cranbourne ice addict Jamie Hay pleads guilty to burglary, car theft at Frankston Magistrates’ Court
An ice addict who claims he needed to commit crimes to feed his drug-addled life has vowed to leave his birthplace for good in a bid to clean up his life after 20 years on the streets.
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A crook pleading guilty to a raft of ice-fuelled crimes has told a court he “needs to get out of Cranbourne” to fix his drug-addled life.
Jamie Hay admitted he burgled factories, stole cars and tools to get money to feed his methamphetamine addiction.
The 34-year-old said he needed to commit crimes to be able to “live on the streets” and once he’s released from jail will leave Cranbourne for good.
Hay pleaded guilty to car theft, burglary, handling stolen goods and driving charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, November 4.
The court heard on May 10, Hay and another man broke into a Dandenong South factory, stole two utes and nicked $6000 worth of tools.
The same day Hay did a petrol drive-off in one of the utes, which had stolen number plates, from a Cranbourne North servo.
On May 12 police searched the Cranbourne house where he had been staying and found stolen number plates and keys belonging to a stolen van.
Hay also stole a Toyota Landcruiser on May 1 from a Dandenong South property.
Two days later he drove the stolen 4WD to a Cranbourne North medical clinic, met a mate and then nicked a Toyota Camry from the car park.
Then on May 5 police saw the Landcruiser, parked near the Cranbourne property where Hay had been couchsurfing, with documents inside linking him to the theft.
Hay had also been seen on CCTV footage driving into the clinic’s carpark in the Landcruiser and leaving in the Camry.
Hay was disqualified from driving in October 2019.
He told police he “didn’t want to do the (burglary) job” but needed money for drugs and food.
His defence lawyer told the court Hay had been born in Cranbourne, but kicked out of home at the age of 13 because of his bad behaviour.
She said he started taking drugs at 15 and of late had been a “chronic” ice user, smoking up to five points a day.
She said the former Frankston abattoir worker had been living in a Cranbourne house but was recently kicked out, which led to his need to commit crimes for money.
Hay told the court via video link from remand prison that he had not had stable accommodation so went back to the streets and was trying to survive.
He said he needed to get out of Cranbourne and was prepared to face up to his issues elsewhere for the sake of his daughter.
Magistrate Michael King said Hay could get drugs anywhere, not just in Cranbourne, and should explore the option of residential rehab when he was released from jail.
“(Because of your drug use) you are causing damage to the community through burglaries and car thefts,” Dr King said.
“People should be able to do normal activities without being victims of crime.”
Dr King ordered Hay to write up a plan outlining his future and undertake a community corrections order assessment.
He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on November 6.
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