Man must repay $2 milk theft

A TOOWOOMBA man will repay $2 to Aldi for a stolen bottle of milk on top of more than $740 to other CBD outlets after pleading guilty to a raft of offences.

Prosecutor Julia Wheaton said Scott Dean Pioch, 34, entered the Aldi shop at Harlaxton on November 12, picked up a packet of Weetbix and a two litre bottle of milk, stuffed it under his jacket and tried to leave the store.

When confronted by store staff, Pioch handed over the Weetbix but not the milk, and later told police he’d been starving and had no intention to pay for the items, Senior Constable Wheaton said.

Police found three types of restricted drugs for which Pioch had no prescription during a search of a Ruthven St home on July 7, which he said had been used to help him sleep.

He was found again with restricted drugs and no prescription on July 19 during a search of a Hill St home where he’d stayed overnight.

Pioch told police the drugs had been for his partner to help with a toothache.

Police, on August 5, saw two men walking across Ruthven St, one of which was Pioch and a search of his backpack found two sets of head phones and two micro sims he said he’d bought from Woolworths.

But the store had no record of the items being sold on or around that date.

Pioch pawned a bicycle at the Cash Shop on Russell St on August 25 for $200, which police later found had been stolen.

Pioch told police he wasn’t aware the bike had been stolen, which he also told officers when spoken to in relation to pawning a laptop computer for $180 at Cash Converters on November 14.

Pioch also pleaded guilty to stealing a $349 grinder from Bunnings by stuffing it under his shirt.

When he was arrested at the Blue Mountain Heights Hotel on Tuesday, police found two clip-seal bags with less than a gram each of a white crystal substance and less than a gram of cannabis which Pioch told police he’d intended to finish that day.

Pioch’s solicitor Shane MacDonald said his client had co-operated with police, spent three nights in custody and had turned to drugs after the death of his brother and best friend.

He said Pioch wanted to get clear of the drugs and was working towards getting his life back together.

Pioch pleaded guilty to 23 charges including fraud, stealing, evade fare, possession of a knife in public, fail to properly dispose of a syringe and contravention of a probation order.

Magistrate Damian Carroll ordered Pioch pay $200 to Cash Shop, $180 to Cash Converters, $2 to Aldi, $349 to Bunnings and $18.70 to Garden City Cabs for fare evasion.

He sentenced him to six months jail with immediate parole for the drug, possess tainted property and shoplifting offences.