A MILLICENT teenager who stole four wheels after unlawfully entering the premises of a local car wreckage yard has been placed on a good behaviour bond.
The 19-year-old appeared before the Millicent Magistrates Court last week and pleaded guilty to dishonestly taking property without consent and being on premises for an unlawful purpose.
The defendant entered the wreckage yard on July 14 in the company of a friend who stole and retained four tyres.
The owner of the premises viewed security camera footage following the incident and was driving home when he identified a trailer from the surveillance parked in the defendant’s driveway with the stolen wheels on it.
The defendant said the trailer and car were not his, but were on his property and denied any involvement in the theft.
He then made contact with the owner of the car yard via social media and returned the wheels.
Police spoke to the defendant and the owner of the car yard, who said permission was given to retrieve the car that was there, not the wheels.
“You get the gist of it,” the defendant’s lawyer said.
“The person that owned the car and the trailer went to collect a car from the car yard that belonged to the defendant.
“The pair walked through the yard, spotted the tyres and loaded them into the trailer.
“The other person was to retain the benefit of the tyres, but they were dumped at my client’s house.”
Magistrate Anderson said the defendant’s behaviour was dishonest, however she acknowledged his past history.
“You have quite a bit of promise moving forward with life,” she said.
“Stay out of trouble and make good choices about the people you are giving company with.”
The defendant was placed on a $400 six-month good behaviour bond.
