Orange Box owner Trevor White is happy to have the stolen iPad returned.
Camera IconOrange Box owner Trevor White is happy to have the stolen iPad returned. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Environmentalists clean up crime at North Freo beach

Jon BassettFremantle Gazette

BEACH cleaners’ discovery of a missing iPad has helped clean up an alleged burglary at the Orange Box cafe at Leighton Beach five weeks ago.

The iPad, a mobile phone, guitar and almond milk were taken from the North Fremantle venue on March 10.

Mr White said the phone’s tracking system allowed police to recover it and the guitar at an undisclosed location a short time later.

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However, the iPad was missing until 84 volunteers from environmental group Sea Shepherd collected 13,436 items of rubbish from the adjacent beach, dunes, carpark and parks on April 13.

“It was still working, which was the weird thing,” Orange Box owner Trevor White said.

The iPad was near an illegal camp, and Sea Shepherd organiser Marina Hansen said whoever took it could not access its functions without is security code.

“So at the end of the day we went over for a coffee at the Orange box, noticed they took orders on an iPad and the display stand looked similar, so I asked the server if they’d had an iPad stolen,” Ms Hansen said.

A connection to the burglary was made, and police continue to investigate the crime this week.

The Sea Shepherd volunteers also collected 4448 bits of hard plastic, 1941 scraps of paper and cardboard and 1382 cigarette butts from the beach.