Trent William Skillington pleads guilty to Andergrove burglary, but firearms missing

A burglar who used a skateboard to slide a safe out of a Queensland home was caught with his fingerprints at the scene — but multiple stolen guns are still in the community for Christmas.

Remington Model 700 30-06 Bolt Action Rifle

Three firearms and a safe have yet to be located after a premeditated burglary where a skateboard was used to move a safe in the early hours of the night into the back of a black ute, a court has heard.

One of the offenders has already fronted court on December 24 and pleaded guilty, ensuring his release from custody before Christmas Day.

Trent William Skillington, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of enter a dwelling and commit an indictable offence in Rockhampton Magistrates Court today.

Police prosecutor Matt Saunders said a safe and its contents were stolen from an Andergrove Road, Andergrove, residence sometime between midnight and 7.20am on December 22 after gaining entry to the lower level of the dwelling by removing the flyscreen of a window and opening the window.

“(The offender/s) have used a skateboard inside the address to steal a safe and its contents,” Mr Saunders said.

He said the safe contained a .223 bolt-action rifle (serial number EN4086), a Remington 700 .308 bolt-action rifle (serial number RR38651F) and a Yildiz 12-gauge under over shotgun (serial number 79-h31uu-001522).

Remington Model 700 30-06 Bolt Action Rifle

Mr Saunders said police were able to find fingerprints at the scene belonging to Skillington inside the windowsill and checks revealed he was subject to an electronic monitoring device which showed he had been at the scene of the crime between 2am and 3.26am.

Police tracked Skillington down the next day and arrested him over the burglary.

Mr Saunders said Skillington told police a female associate had called him about 10pm on December 21, asking for a ride and he drove his black Holden Commodore ute to pick her and an unknown male up.

He said the defendant claimed he had no conversations with the two passengers about what they were up to, just drove them to the address they gave him.

Mr Saunders said Skillington told police the female told him the crime scene address was her sister’s house and she was there to pick up something.

He said the defendant claimed after parking near the address the trio went inside and talked for a while until the female and male started to try and move the safe without making noise so not to wake anyone upstairs.

Mr Saunders said Skillington claimed the female asked him to help and he refused and ran away before the unknown male caught up with him and threatened to bash him if he didn’t help.

He said the defendant then claimed he got back in the car and drove them to Shoal Point to obtain a trolley to help them with the safe, drove back to the crime scene where the unknown male used the trolley to move the safe to the ute.

Mr Saunders said Skillington claimed the trio then drove to Alligator Creek where the safe was transferred into the back of another ute.

“Those firearms remain unrecovered,” he said.

Mr Saunders said Skillington’s history showed a lot of drug use over the years but not firearms offences.

He said this offence was targeted and there was some premeditation to it.

Defence lawyer Sean Gibbs said his client has been very upfront with police about his involvement in this and he was a party but was not the primary offender.

He said Skillington had been on the electronic tracking device for some time and knew police could see where he had been which supported his version of events that he didn’t know what he was getting himself into and as it’s unfolded, he’s become a party.

Mr Gibbs said his client was last convicted of an enter premise offence in 2005.

He said Skillington is unemployed and lives with his mother in Sarina.

Acting magistrate Paul Byrne accepted that Skillington was not the “mastermind” of the burglary and just a party to the serious offence.

He sentenced him to six months prison wholly suspended with an 18-month operational period.

Originally published as Trent William Skillington pleads guilty to Andergrove burglary, but firearms missing