Christmas thief sent to jail

A MAN who set a Christmas tree alight after stealing presents from underneath it has been jailed for 4½ years.

Joshua Robert Rushton caused more than $250,000 damage to the St Leonards Bowling Club after breaking into the Murradoc Rd facility in December 2015.

The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to various charges in Geelong County Court yester- day including arson and destroying property.

After darkness fell on December 6, Rushton — then 25 and living in St Leonards — smashed his way through the front door of the club.

Once inside, he committed what a judge described as “mindless criminality”, smashing various property ranging from a dishwasher to glass bottles.

He made several attempts to start a fire, including setting tea towels alight, laying an electric heater on the floor and turning on stove gas jets.

His efforts proved unsuccessful until he turned his attention to a Christmas tree that had presents underneath it which had been donated by firefighters.

The fire from the tree did not spread far but the smoke from it caused major damage to the ceiling, carpets and electrical equipment.

Rushton fled the scene with no more than $200 in cash but left behind a trail of evidence, including drops of blood which were later used to connect him to the crime.

Two days after the incident, he also fled St Leonards, and was not arrested until six months later at his new home in Preston.

A victim impact statement from club chairman Jim Saddington was read to the court and detailed the “shock” and “devastation” the break-in had caused.

Mr Saddington said the club was left without its facility for several months and that the incident was still being discussed by members.

Defence lawyer Michael McGrath said Rushton was using a cocktail of drugs — including heroin and ice — after moving to St Leonards weeks before the fire. He said Rushton, originally from Queensland, had been battling a drug addiction since his teens, and that the man’s life was in “crisis” following the sudden death of his mother in 2015.

In sentencing, Judge Ger- ard Mullaly said arson was a dangerous and frightening crime.

“There can be doubt that you intended the arson to be extensive — evidenced by your efforts to set the place on fire,” he said. “Your other gratuitous damage to property reveals a concerning side of your criminality.”

Judge Mullaly sentenced Rushton to a minimum term of 2½ years. With time already served, he will be eligible for parole in March 2020.