Man jailed after pleading guilty to astonishing number of thefts
A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to an astonishing number of thefts of a lucrative and highly sought item.
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Theft of copper wire has increased in Townsville as prices jump in the state, a Magistrates Court has heard.
Trent Alan Cork, 35, was sentenced to 12 months jail yesterday after pleading guilty to 19 charges that mainly involved selling a large quantity of stolen copper wire.
In sentencing Cork, acting Magistrate Scott Luxton said the sale of stolen copper wire had become quite prevalent in the community and its value was well known.
“I need to send a message that the community understands that this behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.
The court heard that Cork had sold a total of 1431 kilograms of stolen wire in a number of transactions between February and May last year, netting him more than $17,000.
His defence lawyer Andrew Peel said he doubted Cork had received the full value of his illicit sales.
Cork, who has 12 pages of criminal history, was described as a ‘drug dependent man, with cannabis his drug of choice’.
Mr Peel said Cork could no longer find work in the concrete industry after he sustained an ankle injury from a motorcycle accident.
“He heard about the value of copper wiring from colleagues and even bought a wire stripping machine, as clean wire is worth a lot more than dirty wire,” said Mr Peel.
“It proved to be an opportunity too good to refuse, but now he feels both foolish and remorseful.”
Prosecutor Kellie Mythen said apart from receiving tainted property, Cork was also charged with breaking into the Wilmar Mill and removing copper wire.
She said it was impossible to determine how many kilograms of wire he stole from the sugar mill.
Cork will be eligible for parole in late April.
Scrap metal dealers told The Bulletin that copper was the ‘king of scrap’ as it was plentiful, easy to access and in global demand.
They said at present stripped or shiny copper wire was worth between $11.70 and $12 per kilogram - a much higher price than a few years ago.
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Originally published as Man jailed after pleading guilty to astonishing number of thefts
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