Desperate thief gets a chance

A TERMINALLY ill man has been sentenced to nine months imprisonment for stealing from his Townsville workplace.

Robert James Buck trembled as he pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and stealing as a servant when he fronted Townsville Magistrates Court.

Police prosecutor Adrian Carter said Buck stole more than $ 1100 from the Rugs a Million Townsville store over a two- week period in August 2015.

Mr Carter said Buck was responsible for handling finances for the company at the end of his shift on five occasions where he pocketed cash for himself.

The amounts taken in these incidents ranged from more than $ 450 to as low as $ 20 which Mr Carter said demonstrated “desperateness”.

Mr Carter said Buck was confronted by his employer and immediately quit. The court heard police raided Buck’s home following the incident and found nine cannabis plants growing in three pots.

“Police located a bunch of items related to the production and consumption of drugs,” Mr Carter said.

“The defendant stated that the plants simply popped up on their own … he was also aware what they were.”

Magistrate Steven Mosch said stealing from an employer was a serious offence and a message needed to be sent to the community that such behaviour came with grave consequences.

Buck’s lawyer Nathan Smith said his client had been diagnosed with lung cancer eight months ago and would “succumb to the cancer”.

Mr Smith said his client’s health made him unfit for community service or a probation order.

He said his client had not had any trouble with police since the incident and the stealing was out of character.

Magistrate Mosch sentenced Buck to nine months imprisonment, wholly suspended for a period of 18 months.