A man who threw a car battery through the glass door of a Farmborough Heights home while the residents were asleep inside has been jailed for his crimes.
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Caden Macpherson, 29, was sentenced at Wollongong District Court on Friday to two years and seven months' imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 months after admitting to a series of offences committed last January.
Early in the morning of January 11, 2021 Macpherson jumped the fence of a Unanderra business and entered the building, from which he stole the keys to a customer's vehicle and a roll of electrical wire worth $100; the keys were recovered, but the wire was not.
That same day he broke into a car on Farmborough Road and stole a garage remote control and headphones.
The following day he was captured on CCTV at 4.15am trying to gain entry to two vehicles under a carport.
At 5.30am, a person jogging on Farmborough Road saw Macpherson looking in the front window of a premises and attempting to use a key to gain entry.
Suspicious, the witness took photos and called police.
Macpherson walked down the side of the property and used a car battery to smash a glass door while inside slept the 64-year-old owner and his sons.
Once inside, Macpherson took a poker case, headphones, keys and locks.
The owner, now awake, had gotten out of bed when he heard a loud crash and saw Macpherson outside near his son's car.
He tried to chase Macpherson but could not catch him.
Meanwhile, the witness followed Macpherson in his vehicle and told him to drop what he'd taken because the police were coming.
Macpherson dropped the items and ran off.
He had caused about $1000 of damage to the home.
"Offences such as this cause grave disquiet," Judge Andrew Haesler said, adding that the person who called police should be commended for their actions.
Then on January 21, Macpherson stole the car of an older man from a worksite in Unanderra.
A short time later, he left the car blocking an intersection in Berkeley and ran from the scene, later telling police he did not know how to operate the vehicle's electronics.
Officers found him at a nearby premises and noted he appeared to be well-affected by substances, to the point they had difficulty rousing him.
The stolen car's keys were in his pocket.
Macpherson told police he was so drug-affected he couldn't remember much of what he'd done.
He later pleaded guilty to charges of break, enter and steal, aggravated break and enter and commit larceny, entering land with intent to commit an indictable offence, and taking and driving a conveyance.
He spent over a year in custody until he was released to attend residential rehabilitation in February, but about five months of this time was the balance of parole owed on an earlier sentence.
Judge Haesler said Macpherson was suspended from the rehabilitation centre in May for breaking the rules, but was accepted back and he had achieved some success there.
He noted that Macpherson had given evidence to the court that he wanted to continue with rehabilitation and focus on his recovery.
Judge Haesler accepted he was remorseful for his crimes.
He said imprisonment only protected the community for a short period and Macpherson's time in custody did little to address his drug and alcohol problem, but Macpherson had offended against multiple people.
"While I do not underestimate the danger that a return to custody might cause you to give up, I believe it is necessary to meet all the purposes of sentencing," Judge Haesler said.
Taking into account time served and his stint in rehabilitation, Judge Haesler backdated Macpherson's sentence to November last year.
Macpherson will become eligible for parole next May.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
