Drunk burglar showered, changed clothes, left behind DVD player

The bizarre behaviour of a drunken man frightened a woman as she returned home to find the stranger showered and changed clothes at her place and left his Blu-ray DVD player on her kitchen bench.

The bizarre behaviour of a drunken man frightened a woman as she returned home to find the stranger had showered and changed clothes in her place and left his Blu-ray player on her kitchen bench.

This was just one of the incidents that led him to spending a night in the watch house.

The man, who can not be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty on July 21 in Rockhampton Magistrates Court to one count of breaching a domestic violence order, one of entering a dwelling by break with intent to commit an indictable offence and one of stealing.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said the first victim, who resided at Mason Avenue in Parkhurst, arrived home on July 19 to find the defendant’s Blu-ray player on her kitchen counter and evidence of a search of her cupboards.

He said the victim had entered via the garage at 7pm while the defendant earlier had forced entry via the front door.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant fled without his Blu-ray and his underwear.

He said the woman called police who came with the dog squad and tracked the defendant to Hotham Close, Parkhurst, where police located items of clothing belonging to him.

Sergeant Ongheen said police then saw the defendant wearing a red shirt and riding a stolen bicycle along Mason Avenue and he was intercepted outside the Parkhurst caravan park.

He said the defendant smelt strongly of alcohol, was disorientated, confused and didn’t believe the police were really police.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant’s partner was at the caravan park caring for children and the defendant had gone to the park earlier that night to drink with one of her associates.

He said the defendant, after drinking lots of Jack Daniels, opened the door where his partner was caring for children, and spoke with her.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant was ranting and raving incoherently and then left to carry out the other offences.

Defence lawyer Samantha Legrady said her client, 43, had been called by his partner to take her to Mackay, which he did, but that didn’t work out and he drove her back to Rockhampton.

She said when this took place, the partner told the defendant a domestic violence order between the pair was no longer active.

Ms Legrady said he started drinking after returning from Mackay.

She said he did not recall any of the offending.

“Alcohol is a very serious issue for him,” Ms Legrady said.

“He can’t drink at all.”

The court heard the defendant’s criminal record included three stealing offences in 2017, a shop steal and drugs in 2018, four wilful damage convictions in 2020 along with public nuisance and breach of a domestic violence order in 2021.

He was sentenced to six months prison with parole release on July 28.

Originally published as Drunk burglar showered, changed clothes, left behind DVD player