Nathan Jaggard: Ice addict stole four cars and a gun in Darwin to satisfy drug debts, court hears

A meth addict who grew up in Alice Springs hit a car rental business twice and also stole a gun from the Darwin Military Museum, selling most of the loot to satisfy drug debts, a court has heard.

Woolner man Nathan Jaggard, 51. Picture: Facebook

An ice addict who grew up in Alice Springs stole four cars from a rental company and firearms from the Darwin Military Museum, selling the lion’s share to satisfy drug debts, a court has heard.

Woolner man Nathan Jaggard, 51, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court at Darwin on Thursday to offences including theft, burglary, damaging property, and possessing a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine.

The court heard on May 6 this year, Jaggard and two co-offenders drove into town and sank some drinks at The Tap on Mitchell, before accessing an upper level of the Mitchell Centre where Hertz’s Darwin Downtown garage is.

Jaggard smashed a lockbox for returned keys, which allowed the trio to steal three cars, a Subaru Forester, and a Toyota RAV4 and HiLux.

They returned multiple times to Mitchell Centre to effect the thefts, the court heard.

Jaggard returned to the Mitchell Centre multiple times on the night of May 6–7 to steal cars from Hertz Car Rentals. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A few days later, on May 11, Jaggard acted as lookout at the military museum at East Point while a co-offender got into a bunker via a concealed back door, jimmied open a glass case, and stole a handgun.

Jaggard then helped himself to a Colt semiautomatic rifle, the court was told.

Not content with their booty, Jaggard and a co-offender returned to Hertz’s Darwin Downtown garage on May 19 where he again smashed a lockbox.

Jaggard stole a Toyota Prado while his co-offender stole a RAV4 (Jaggard was not charged over this theft).

Police came knocking at Jaggard’s front door on May 25.

He was discovered in possession of the RAV4 stolen on the night of May 6 (the only one of the five vehicles recovered) and was arrested.

In addition to the stolen vehicle, which was bearing false plates, police found 6g of methamphetamine, $1050 cash, drug paraphernalia, a “detailed ledger detailing the supply of meth and sale of stolen cars,” and equipment for manufacturing false plates.

It also emerged Jaggard had been driving the stolen vehicles on a disqualified licence, imposed by a court in Queensland.

The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory at Darwin came down hard on Jaggard. Picture: Zizi Averill

The total cost of the stolen vehicles was about $180,000.

Defence lawyer Michael Drury told the court his client, who had “numerous convictions” for dishonesty offences in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, was born in Adelaide and raised in Alice Springs.
A father of an 11-year-old, Jaggard had a “strong employment history in the mining sector,” but acknowledged a longstanding meth addiction.

He retained the support of his mother, who was paying Jaggard’s legal bills, Mr Drury said, adding the defendant would move to Adelaide to be closer to her on his release from custody.

Justice Judith Kelly sentenced Jaggard to five years’ imprisonment, backdated to his arrest and remand in custody on May 25.

He will be eligible for parole after serving half the sentence.