Tools and phone thieving druggie caught by police riding away from Hallam crime scene on pushbike
A teenage thief caught with bags of pills and stolen goods has been using drugs since he was just 12 years old. Pleading guilty to a string of theft, driving and drug charges, the now 20-year-old has been warned he is at a turning point in his life.
South East
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A court has heard an “off his guts” teenage thief who broke into a tradesmen’s yard to steal phones and tools had been using ice since he was aged just 12.
The phrase caused an outburst of laughter from one of his mates in the gallery, and the magistrate ordered the offending chortler to leave the courtroom.
Ethan Hugo Wilson was 19 when he was caught by cops riding a pushbike raiding trucks and utes at a Hallam commercial premises.
The now 20-year-old pleaded guilty to a plethora of theft, driving and drug charges at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The court heard about midnight on September 1 this year Wilson broke into a business depot in Hallam South Rd, Hallam through a wire fence.
He stole two keys from a cabinet and searched six utes and trucks for merchandise to nick.
He took phones, tools, a GPS system and a fuel card before riding off on his pushbike.
He was spotted by police on nearby Princes Highway and pulled over because he had no lights on and wasn’t wearing a helmet.
A search uncovered the stolen loot, five small bags each with 10 ecstasy pills inside, a face mask and a mobile phone with drug trafficking messages on it.
He told officers he was “off his guts” and originally said he had found the gear on the side of the road, before finally confessing to the theft.
He was bailed, but police caught up with him again after reports a stolen car had crashed in Dandenong on December 15 last year.
Wilson was the driver of the BMW that had been taken from Berwick the day before. He fled the scene before police caught up with him. He was charged and remanded.
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In court his defence lawyer said Wilson, from Berwick, did not condone the laughter in court and was understanding of the precarious position he was in.
She said the concreter had been using ice since he was aged 12 and had problems with homelessness and drug use in the past, but he was determined to fix his ways.
She said he had spent 36 days in “horrendous” custody while on remand and would abide by any program or conditions imposed.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen said Wilson was “at a turning point in his life”, telling him “do not let yourself down, or you will fall hard”.
He bailed him on strict youth justice conditions, including a curfew, and he will be sentenced at a later date.