Man just wanted lift home

A GOLD Coast man was so drunk and desperate for a lift after a Christmas party he broke into a Broadbeach Waters home, stole jewellery and a van.

Dennis James Banbury, 29, then tried to set the van on fire with a handheld blowtorch, a court was told yesterday.

But Banbury felt so bad the next morning about what he had done that he surrendered himself to police.

Banbury pleaded guilty yesterday in the Southport District Court to one count each of entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and attempted arson.

Judge Richard Jones sentenced him to three years jail with immediate parole.

“He was drunk and he wanted a lift home,” Judge Jones said. “It’s hardly a masterminded offence.”

Crown prosecutor Michael Mitchell said the vehicle was taken on December 9 and Banbury was charged the next day.

He said the owner of the van used an iPad app to help track a device left in the van to an Upper Coomera home.

The van was found with a burnt interior.

“It had been damaged as a result of the defendant using a handheld blowtorch,” Mr Mitchell said.

Defence barrister Sarah Thompson, instructed by Howden Saggers Lawyers, said Banbury spent most of his life in Western Australia and was attempting to move on from a drug-related past.

She said he was employed full-time since August last year and was the sole breadwinner for his family, comprising six children and his pregnant partner.