Corio man Reece Hucklebridge sentenced for drug fuelled crime spree

A man who stole thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from Geelong businesses during a “drug fuelled” crime spree has been sentenced.

Reece Hucklebridge was found with a large amount of stolen goods. Picture: Facebook.

A Corio man who stole thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from Geelong businesses during a “drug fuelled” burglary spree has narrowly avoided jail.

Reece Hucklebridge’s drug fuelled crime spree started on November 22, when he climbed under the fence of a Norlane transport yard and stole the keys for trailers and freight trucks before rummaging through vehicles.

The 22-year-old then climbed onto the roof of a Newtown Woolworths and stole lollies and chocolates.

It was the first of many burglaries committed by Hucklebridge throughout Geelong.

Hucklebridge appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to the burglary charges, possessing drugs of dependence and cultivating cannabis in his mother’s backyard.

The court heard he told police he was planning to use the stolen items to start his own business.

On 6 December, Hucklebridge broke into the ICON Collectibles warehouse in North Shore and the G3PL next door where he stole electronics such as JBL Speakers and Apple AirPods.

The next night, Hucklebridge climbed through an emergency hatch in another warehouse and stole $3000 worth of cigarettes.

He committed a similar burglary the following night when he stole engine oil from one warehouse and took pet supplies from another.

Police found Hucklebridge on December 8 as he was loading a television stolen from South Geelong’s The Good Guys into his car.

They found $7000 worth of stolen items inside along with amphetamines, stolen business keys, an AMPOL fuel card, and a head torch.

When interviewed that night, Hucklebridge said he was “trying to start my own business” and had no intention of paying for the items.

The court heard Hucklebridge was “drug fuelled” at the time and had been using drugs of dependence daily.

Between July and December, a number of burglaries were committed in warehouses and job sites across Geelong by unknown offenders.

Some of these items were found in Hucklebridge’s home, but there was no suggestion he was involved in those burglaries.

During the search, police also found multiple cannabis plants and drying racks in a shed but was unable to enter due to toxic gas.

The cannabis weighed 771g.

Police said the total amount stolen meant “hundreds of thousands of dollars” were spent by businesses who needed to replace keys.

Magistrate Simon Guthrie was told Hucklebridge spent a few days on remand and said he had a “taste of where you shouldn’t be”.

“It’s almost as if you thought you were on a roll and got addicted and thought ‘I can do this, I’m going to continue to do this because I’m good at it’. Sadly, what happens is it comes to an end suddenly.

Hucklebridge was placed on a community corrections order for 15 months without conviction.

Originally published as Corio man Reece Hucklebridge sentenced for drug fuelled crime spree