A Theodore man lured people to rent his storage units only for him to steal their fishing lures worth more than $20,000, comic books valued at up to $10,000, a photo of someone's dead father and various other personal items.
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In an ACT Supreme Court judgment published last week, Daniel Thomas Hancock, 46, was sentenced to a suspended four-year jail term after pleading guilty to five counts of theft, two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and one count each of burglary and driving while disqualified.
In September 2019, the unemployed Hancock began leasing a leasing storage unit at a Kambah commercial facility where he rented lock-secured storage units to various people.
Until November of that year, Hancock had cut the padlocks on six units and replaced them with padlocks for which only he held the keys.
He stole various items during five occasions, including the 100 boxes of fishing lures, 20 boxes of comic books, computer equipment, a debit card, artworks, numerous personal and medical documents, motorcycle and car gear and a wallet containing Indian rupees.
Your criminality is not so entrenched and not so serious that you cannot rise above it and so I do urge you to do that.
- Acting Justice Richard Refshauge
The theft was discovered when Hancock tried to use the debit card to access 4293 Indian rupees, worth about $88AUD at the time.
Hancock was disqualified from driving after being caught drink driving when he drove a Commodore to the storage facility on one occasion.
When police searched his home in mid November, they found a Taser and two flick knives.
He claimed he was "under the influence" when he committed the thefts and reportedly said he would not have committed them had he not been intoxicated.
Owners of the stolen items sought compensation of nearly $15,000 total with some items being recovered.
In his sentencing remarks, Acting Justice Richard Refshauge said Hancock's excuse about being intoxicated was "a little hard to accept given the level of planning required".
"He had to acquire the necessary equipment and replace those locks with his own, which must have taken time, expense and effort to obtain," Acting Justice Refshauge said.
The judgment states that Hancock had been assessed as having PTSD but no formal diagnosis has been made and that he has 65 offences on his record.
"The bottom line is that you have committed pretty serious offences," Acting Justice Refshauge said.
"(The offending) have caused mental harm and have destroyed property that victims have personal connections with."
The judge told Hancock the chance for rehabilitation was a privilege.
"Your criminality is not so entrenched and not so serious that you cannot rise above it and so I do urge you to do that," he said.
Hancock's jail term was backdated to July 2020 and he was also placed on a good behaviour order.
A drug and alcohol treatment was ordered and a good behaviour order of two years placed after the treatment.
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