A man who broke into the Blackbutt home of a young family and stole sentimental belongings and goods worth at least $4200 will spend another four months behind bars.
Warrawong's Darrel Maher, 37, fronted Wollongong Local Court on Friday for sentencing after pleading guilty to break and enter, and possessing stolen goods.
Advertisement
About 7pm on March 13, 2020 a woman returned to her Albatross Drive home to find all the kitchen drawers open.
Walking upstairs she found a linen cupboard open, and realised someone had broken in when she went into the master bedroom to discover the mattress pushed against the window and the drawers in the wardrobe open.
Fearing the offender was still in the home, she and her young children went outside and she called the police and her husband.
Police arrived and found the house was empty, but a dining room window was open and the flyscreen was missing.
It was located under the deck, along with a knife and a hammer that did not belong to the household.
A barbecue knife usually kept in the backyard was found near the open window and there were obvious tool marks on the frame.
A fingerprint was found on the window and when it was entered into the national database, it was matched to Maher.
A bike worth $500, a laptop worth $1500, Nikon camera and accessories worth $2000-plus, family photos, spare keys for two vehicles, a bluetooth speaker worth $200, and jewellery with sentimental value were stolen.
Then in December 2021, a man's motorised scooter was stolen from his unit block in Bligh Street, Wollongong.
CCTV footage captured Maher pushing the scooter underneath the unit block and leaving it before walking away.
DNA obtained from damaged wiring was matched to Maher.
The court heard Maher had drug addiction issues and committed his crimes for money to buy drugs.
"Unfortunately it's a fairly common situation - you need money to buy the drugs, you're addicted, and you need to work to get off the drugs," Magistrate Michael Ong said.
But the court was told Maher stopped using ice late last year when he got a job.
Magistrate Ong noted Maher had that job available to him upon his release from custody, but his criminal history meant that the court had to consider imprisonment as a sentence.
Advertisement
Maher was supported in court by his partner and three of their children.
Magistrate Ong sentenced him to 14 months in jail, with a non-parole period of nine months, dating from March.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
