AN unlicensed Broken Hill man who stole a new car from a Mildura dealership before returning it within 10 minutes has been placed on a community corrections order.
Ashley Young, 27, was arrested on Monday morning, and pleaded guilty to a range of charges in the Mildura Magistrates’ Court.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Lauren Abson said Young had entered Northstar Motors on Orange Avenue at about 3am on Sunday.
The court was told the man opened a large roller door and entered a new white Hyundai i30, driving it out of the business and down a laneway.
The vehicle was seen on closed circuit television returning to the site nine minutes later, before Young entered a 2020 Mitsubishi Pajero and stole that instead.
Sen-Constable Abson said the Pajero returned once again at 3.59am when Young brought two unknown co-accused to the business, who allegedly stole a Hyundai Santa Fe.
The prosecutor said Young had failed to pay for diesel twice while driving the Pajero on Sunday, firstly at the OTR service station on Deakin Avenue at 4.14am, and at a Broken Hill petrol station at about 4pm.
The Sante Fe was found in Buronga, while the Pajero was found at a Sarnia Avenue address in Mildura.
Young was located asleep inside a Deakin Avenue unit on Monday morning, in possession of the keys to the Pajero.
Young’s lawyer Hugh Middleton said his client told him he took the vehicle to see his children aged five and two in Broken Hill.
He said Young chose to switch vehicles after realising he “didn’t need a brand new i30 to do it”.
The prosecution indicated they would seek a combination sentence of a jail term and a corrections order for the offending.
The defence argued for a community corrections order, arguing Young should be encouraged to avoid Broken Hill as he had gotten into trouble with drugs in the township.
Magistrate Rose Falla commented it was unusual for a stolen vehicle to be returned, but it didn’t excuse the fact he took it in the first place.
Young was placed on a 12 month community corrections order, and handed a one month license disqualification.
