A man charged with stealing more than $500 of whiskey and bourbon over the space of a week was found by police hiding under a blanket at an Oak Flats house, Wollongong Bail Court heard on Sunday.
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To compound things, an AVO banned Robert Darrell Booth, 31, from being within 200 metres of that house, where his partner lived.
Booth appeared in court charged with a breach of the AVO, stalk/intimidate and five counts of larceny.
Police facts tendered to the court allege that Booth and an accomplice went to Dan Murphy’s at Shellharbour and each took a bottle of Wild Turkey Masters Keep, worth $205.
His female accomplice, who was arrested on February 5, allegedly hid the bottle under her shirt.
For three consecutive days from January 27, police allege Booth returned to the same bottle shop and stole bottles of whiskey and bourbon.
On each of the first two days he allegedly stole a bottle of Jack Daniels (worth $100) and on the third day, grabbed two bottles of Jim Beam worth a total of $160.98.
On Saturday at 8.50am police attended the Oak Flats home and allegedly found Booth hiding in the rear bedroom, covered up by a blanket.
In applying for bail Legal Aid lawyer Elizabeth Saad said Booth’s partner had asked him “to go over and spend some time with the [seven] kids because she was pregnant and having complications”.
“He was hanging out with his kids and basically got arrested,” Ms Saad said.
She asked the court to continue Booth’s current bail conditions.
Registrar Peter Ritchie was not impressed with Booth’s record, noting he had “an extensive criminal history extending out to 45 pages”.
Mr Ritchie said Booth’s arrest came “not even a week” after the last time he had been arrested near the Oak Flats home.
He said the “unfortunate set of circumstances” in having to look after seven children was not an excuse to breach bail.
Mr Ritchie refused bail for Booth and remanded him to appear at Wollongong Local Court on February 11.
