Crying Cranbourne crim: ‘Looked like a rat’ teen thief’s tears of joy
A 19-year-old who says he was “disgusting” and looked “like a rat” had an emotional day in court after admitting a drug-fuelled crime spree.
South East
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A teen thief broke down in tears when he was told he will be released from jail after admitting a six-month booze and drug-driven stealing spree.
Crying crim Ayden Watts had endured nearly two months on remand after committing a series of thefts and an assault while on bail and in breach of a community corrections order.
The Cranbourne 19-year-old had spent the previous six months before he was locked up looking “like a rat”, doing ice, Xanax and downing hard liquor.
He would nick wallets and bank cards from cars to get drug cash and steal grog from bottle shops to feed his alcohol habit.
He also threw kitchen knives towards his ex-girlfriend, punched holes in her house walls and told her he was going to “drop her” in a fit of rage.
Watts pleaded guilty to a raft of theft, deception, handling stolen goods, assault, criminal damage and court order breach charges at the online Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
He cried when advised of his sentence, telling the court he was “willing to change my ways” and “I’ve learnt my lesson, I don’t want to come back here (prison)”.
The court heard in July last year he broke into a car parked in a Cranbourne street and stole a wallet containing bank cards and $100 cash.
He then went to the nearby servo — where he was a regular customer — and used one of the cards 12 times to buy cigarettes and other merchandise worth $782.
When the car owner later realised his wallet was gone and contacted police, it was easy for them to locate Watts as he was well-known to the servo cashier.
When he was arrested he said he didn’t remember the deceptions, but admitted it was him on the servo CCTV, saying “I look so disgusting, like a rat” and “looks like I was on a lot (of drugs)”.
A month later he nicked a wallet and fishing tackle worth $1000 from a Cranbourne car, but his efforts to use the nicked bank card at the same servo failed this time.
In November he went to the same bottle shop in Cranbourne on three different occasions, stealing bottles of gin, vodka and rum.
And in December he threatened to hurt his now ex-partner and chucked kitchen knives in her direction, but luckily they didn’t hit her.
Watts was then remanded in custody.
He was on bail at the time and meant to be doing a corrections order, but failed to even bother to contact authorities, never mind do any unpaid work or drug counselling.
His defence lawyer told the court this was his first experience in custody and he had used the time to rid himself of drugs and alcohol and reflect upon his future.
Magistrate Julian Ayres said he really hoped the remand time was a “circuit breaker” that deterred him from any further offending.
“I understand your distress, you a still a very young man,” Mr Ayres said.
“(After your release) you have got to stay clean, be careful who you associate with and accept the help that you’re given.”
Watts was sentenced to 51 days in jail, classed as time served, and his drug, alcohol and unpaid work corrections order was extended another 18 months.
