“Weak”, “disgraceful” and “shameful” are the words a magistrate has used to describe the actions of two Wollongong low-lifes who stole charity tins from McDonalds.
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Sean McAlister, 24, and Dakota Clayton, 23, were publicly shamed twice following the August 11 incident – once by police who posted CCTV images of their mugs on Facebook – then again in Wollongong Court on Tuesday when Magistrate Michael Stoddart tore strips off the two men for their selfish behaviour.
Police documents said the pair arrived at the McDonalds on Corrimal Street just after 4am and approached the front counter, which had Ronald McDonald Foundation charity boxes attached to the each of the three registers.
When I spoke to him about the offence this morning he said ‘it was one big, dumb mistake’. He’s sorry for what he’s done, he’s ashamed and embarrassed.
When staff weren’t looking, Clayton forcibly yanked the chain connecting the boxes to the counter, causing it to break. He then tucked the box under his jacket, went outside and hid it.
Clayton returned a short time later and used the same tactic to steal a second box while McAlister ordered their food. McAlister tried to steal the third box however the chain would not break. They then left the store.
Staff only noticed the boxes were missing two days later and notified police, who identified Clayton and McAlister via the store’s CCTV footage.
The pair turned themselves on August 18 after seeing their images on the NSW Police Facebook page. They were charged with larceny, to which they pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday.
McAlister’s lawyer, Paul Paine, said his client had drunk 15 cans of Canadian Club before walking the 500m from his house to the McDonalds to get food.
“He never intended to take anything,” he said.
“When I spoke to him about the offence this morning he said ‘it was one big, dumb mistake’. He’s sorry for what he’s done, he’s ashamed and embarrassed. He knew the money was destined for charity which makes him feel even worse.”
Danny Lagopodis, representing Clayton, said his client was also drunk that night and his actions had been “opportunistic”.
The pair said the boxes contained $40 – $32 of which they spent, and the remainder they had returned when they handed themselves in.
Magistrate Stoddart ordered the men repay $16 each and fined them $1000.
“How weak is that? You’re nicking charity money from McDonalds,” he said.
“It’s disgraceful, you both ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”
