A concreting business owner who breached his bail conditions has admitted to having illegal and prescription drugs found after he stole from a Bunnings store.
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Rory James Smith, 30, was arrested on Tuesday after he was caught driving while disqualified in Dapto, which breached his bail conditions to not occupy or drive a car and he pleaded guilty in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.
The owner of Bosscrete was given bail conditions when he was released from custody for having drugs and stealing from Bunnings in Kembla Grange in January this year.
The Nowra man, who recently moved from Wollongong, was charged and pleaded guilty to shoplifting, driving a motor vehicle during a disqualification period, two counts of possessing/attempting to possess prescribed restricted substances, possessing prohibited drugs and supplying prohibited drugs.
Documents tendered to court said Smith drove to Bunnings on January 21 shortly before midday before he entered the store, put items in his trolley and left without paying.
After he loaded the items into his car, he went back into the store to return some goods he had previously purchased before he got into his car and as he was leaving he was stopped by staff and loss prevention officers.
Smith admitted to the officer he had stolen items in his ute before they searched a black safe-like box that was on the front footwell of the passenger side seat.
Inside was a variety of pills and illegal drugs. Smith was escorted to the office and the police were called.
Police discovered Smith had stolen $646 worth of items from the store, before he admitted to owning the drugs, telling officers his doctor had prescribed the prescription pills but no scripts were found.
Officers seized 16 brown ecstasy pills, one gram of meth which he paid $600 for, two Palexcia tablets, a blister pack of Diazapam as well as four other white tablets.
Checks also revealed Smith was disqualified from driving for a year from December 2020.
Smith was arrested and charged at Lake Illawarra Police Station before being granted strict condition bail.
In court on Wednesday, Smith told Magistrate Michael O'Brien that driving on Tuesday was a "stupid decision", before he said, "I promise it won't happen again".
The court also heard Smith had relocated to the Nowra area for a "fresh start" with his real estate partner.
Magistrate O'Brien granted Smith bail, warning him not to breach it again before all matters were adjourned for sentence in Nowra Local Court on September 27.
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