Gold stolen for drug bill

A MAN who stole an $ 8000 gold chain from a jewellery store to pay a drug debt has been jailed.

Daniel Wayne Johns, 29, pleaded guilty to a string of offences in Townsville Magistrates Court, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, stealing and possessing drugs.

Magistrate Steven Mosch said the crimes were committed between March 3 and April 13 this year.

On April 13, Johns went to a store at Willows Shopping Centre and pretended he was interested in buying a gold chain.

“While the shop assistant was distracted, you snatched a 10- carat gold chain with a retail value of $ 7999,” Mr Mosch said.

“You told police that you stole this chain to absolve a $ 500 drug debt.”

The same day Johns was caught drug driving with amphetamine, methylamphetamine and marijuana in his system.

Johns’ home was searched on March 3 and police found a small amount of methylamphetamine, used syringes and a water pipe bong. Mr Mosch said Johns drove a stolen BMW between April 6 and 10, but had not stolen it himself.

“It’s suggested that you were approached by some indigenous girls that you knew from the streets and, given who those girls were, and given that it was a BMW, you suspected that it had been stolen,” Mr Mosch said.

“Despite that you succumbed to the temptation of driving it around, telling police it was because you hadn’t previously driven a BMW.”

Mr Mosch said Johns committed the crime spree just three months into a suspended sentence.

In December last year he was given a nine- month suspended sentence for walking into a store, picking up a new television and walking out with it.

Johns had a five- page criminal history.

Defence solicitor Brendan Marr said Johns’ criminal past was driven by his drug use.

“He is unlikely to break that habit without some intervention, your honour,” Mr Marr said. “This is a situation where he has provided instructions not to make an application for bail so he would be quarantined or removed from these situations where there is availability of drugs.”

Johns was sentenced to 29 months in jail, with parole release on November 21.