Strange crimes committed by druggies while they are high that were heard in southeast courts
A burglar says he can’t remember breaking into hotels, offices — and Gumbuya World — after not sleeping for a week due to chronic ice use. And he isn’t the only drugged-up criminal who will leave you shaking your head.
South East
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Most people know drugs affect the way you act – in a negative way.
But some junkies take bizarre decision-making to the extreme, doing weird things that leave you scratching your head in amazement.
Heart stopper
He is a junkie who loves his drugs so much even a heart attack didn’t stop him committing crimes including using a stolen credit card to buy massage parlour ‘services’.
Even after he was arrested Botin continued to take so many drugs that he had a heart attack which was “solely down to his ice use”.
His lawyer said he now abstained, and any more drug-taking would “likely result in death”.
The magistrate said he had nearly lost his life and “if the penny hasn’t dropped by now, it never will”, giving him a community corrections order.
Location, location, location
An ice smoker desperate for a hit thought he had found the perfect place to pull over for a puff.
But it was far from ideal, as the location Butch Gersbeck had stopped in was Notting Hill cop shop car park and he was being watched on the station’s CCTV as he settled in for a session.
Officers were soon on the scene to arrest the brain-befuddled junkie, who has a long history of addiction and failed rehab attempts, and he was arrested.
The magistrate remarked how easy it was for him to be caught.
“He parked his vehicle in the major collision squad car park … he quickly came to the attention of police members.”
He was given a community corrections order with unpaid work and drug treatment conditions.
Was that me?
Most people remember the fun times they had at theme parks, pubs and other entertainment venues.
But not burglar Nicholas Robertson, who had forgotten he had been on a two-day crime bender robbing pokies machines, offices and Gumbuya World.
After he was arrested – wearing the same clothing – he told police he hadn’t slept for a week because of his chronic ice use and couldn’t remember stealing from hotels or breaking into the theme park.
He had also robbed a tool shop, was found with a baseball bat, tomahawk and knife and failed a drug test after being discovered unconscious behind the wheel.
His defence lawyer said since his arrest he had “come good” on drug treatment and turned his life around by staying clean.
The magistrate said his bungled crimes bore the lack of sophistication “hallmarks” of excessive drug abuse.
He was placed on a community corrections order with drug counselling and unpaid work.
Social boasting backfire
Some people become very bold when high on drugs – too bold, it seems.
Drug-addicted career criminal Thomas Patchett tried to impress his Facebook friends with a selfie wearing pilfered police gear.
But his social boasting backfired badly when the cops saw his posts containing images of him with the nicked ballistics vest, gun holster and baseball cap.
The prolific offender with a 24-page rap sheet was high on ice when he bought the nicked cop gear that had been stolen from a police car.
He said he “thought it would be impressive to buy the police equipment and show his mates online”.
His lawyer said he used to have a “powerful addiction” to ice but he had now “genuinely turned a corner”.
His bravado cost him a conviction and a $2000 fine.
Spa smoke lands kidnap victim in hot water
A former ice addict who was once kidnapped at gunpoint in a drug deal gone bad had quit using, but relapsed in a spa and smoked a joint with his cousin.
Craig McKinney should have realised drugs were trouble but instead decided to share a smoke with a relative before getting behind the wheel of a car.
The court heard he had given up all forms of illicit substances since the kidnap incident, which was described as “an eye-opener” and “a wake-up call for him”.
He said he had he stopped using all drugs, but caved in to his cousin’s requests and “had a couple of puffs” of cannabis.
Later that evening he used his girlfriend’s car to pick her up from work and was pulled over.
He was convicted, fined $750 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Wrong prescription
It is not just recreational drugs that can land you in strife – too much medication can also lead to some strange and unusual criminal behaviour.
Craig Rowbottom was high on prescription pills when he went on a bizarre 90-minute spree, including stealing steaks, nicking lip balm and sitting in a stranger’s car.
He walked into a supermarket and took seven chocolate bars, some eye fillets and other items and then broke into a parked SUV and stole two necklaces, a cigarette lighter and lip ointment from the glove box.
His defence lawyer said the disability support pensioner was taking Xanax and “didn’t have a strong recollection” of what happened that day.
The magistrate told him he “needs to keep his nose clean” or he could end up in jail, fining him $1000 instead.
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