Samuel Layton pleads guilty to stealing beach buggy from Alex Surf Club
A Brisbane man who went viral on social media after he crashed a stolen lifeguard beach buggy on the Sunshine Coast had also been involved in a $28,000 store break in.
Police & Courts
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A man who terrorised beachgoers and lifeguards after he stole a beach buggy at the Sunshine Coast during school holidays had been on a three month crime spree in its lead up.
Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard Samuel Oliver Layton, 37, was more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit when he commandeered an all-terrain vehicle owned by the Alexandra Headland Surf Club on June 28.
In what acting magistrate Raelene Ellis described as “bizarre” scenes, the Brisbane man made threats to lifeguards at the busy holiday destination while he was “rambling incoherently” before he unlawfully took the buggy for a spin along the beach.
Ms Ellis said Layton at one point drove in the direction of an unsuspecting beach goer who had to run up a small sandhill to avoid him.
The court heard hundreds school holiday revellers watched Oliver perform a doughnut on the beach in the stolen vehicle before he made his way up a pedestrian access point.
Oliver suddenly rolled the vehicle and was thankfully restrained by lifeguards until police arrived, later returning a blood alcohol reading of 0.174 per cent.
Multiple Instagram videos went viral of Layton’s arrest hundreds of metres from the Alexandra Headland Surf Club, where he was spotted face down on the ground with the upturned vehicle.
Police prosecutor Brendan Newman said this was the final offence for Layton after he committed other crimes in the three months to his arrest and bail refusal.
He spent 109 days in custody up until Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to six charges including dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected, public nuisance and threatening violence.
The court was told Layton broke into Eureka Furniture in Fortitude Valley on March 16 and stole more than $28,000 worth of property.
Ms Ellis said Layton also stole clothing from a TK Maxx store on May 18, and when he was approached by police about it, the 37-year-old replied, “do you want the underwear back then?”.
Sergeant Newman said all of the property Layton stole had not been recovered, with the 28-year-old having eight pages of criminal history.
Defence lawyer Matt Cooper said the Brisbane removalist hoped to become a horticulturalist after his release from prison, and had been seeking help for his mental health issues.
Mr Cooper said Layton was homeless at the time, drinking alcohol and not taking medication, which created the “perfect” storm for his crime spree.
He told the court the 37-year-old also had a desire to treat his substance abuse issues.
Ms Ellis jailed Layton for 27 months, and with time served, made his parole eligibility date to be March 27 next year. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months.
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Originally published as Samuel Layton pleads guilty to stealing beach buggy from Alex Surf Club
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