Magistrate warns ‘ life finished’ if sent to jail

A MAGISTRATE has warned a teenage burglar his life will be over if he keeps “hanging around with deadbeats” and ends up in jail.

Douglas Walter Mountain, 17, pleaded guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday to 11 offences committed in April and July.

They included burgling a home and stealing a wallet, fraudulently using a Mastercard six times, breaking into a PCYC, damaging a car and attempting to unlawfully use a vehicle.

Some of the crimes were committed with a 16- year- old, who was dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.

Defence solicitor Thomas Foster said Mountain had seven siblings and no contact with his mother.

The teenager lived in Rockhampton before moving to Townsville with his then girlfriend. When the couple broke up, Mountain had trouble finding stable accommodation — he couch- surfed and sometimes lived on the streets.

Mr Foster said Mountain, who had no problem with drugs or alcohol, fell into a “bad group”.

Magistrate Ross Mack said he would place Mountain on a probation order, but if he breached it by reoffending he would end up in jail.

“You are so close to being in jail and if you go to jail, I don’t want to mince words with you, your life is finished,” he said.

“You will never have a house, you will have partners I expect and children, but you’ll never have a work life, you’ll never have money in your pocket, you’ll never get to travel overseas.

“You’ll never get to do those things that every young person should get to dream about.”

Mountain was sentenced to 18 months on probation.