Suspended prison term for business burglaries

A MAN has received a suspended prison sentence after stealing from businesses in Duncraig and Greenwood.

Peter Geoffrey Thompson (40) appeared in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday via video link from Hakea Prison.

The court heard that on March 10 at 5am, Thompson attempted to steal from an accounting business in Duncraig but he set the alarm off and left the building, also leaving behind his DNA.

He then went to another business in the same location and stole a black cash box with $500 cash, cheques to the value of $600 and various cards.

His DNA was again found at the scene.

Thompson also stole coins from Kingsway Podiatry between May 31 and June 3.

Duty lawyer Andrew Parker said to Thompson’s credit, he “did not mess around” admitting to the “serious charges” and that these types of offences cause “disruption to people going about their small businesses”.

He said Thompson had been living on the streets at the time and was using meth so he was “looking for things to sustain his drug habit and to get by and live”.

“Looking at his record, his last conviction for robbery was in 2010 for a 2009 offence,” Mr Parker said.

“Then there’s a period between February 2015 and March 2019 where he knew he had to change.”

Mr Parker said Thompson had been going through family court which had “derailed him a bit”.

“That coupled with the resumption of his meth use led him to make some bad decisions,” he said.

Mr Parker requested Magistrate Sandra De Maio take into account Thompson’s early guilty plea, the six weeks he had already spent in custody and his “desire to get help” and consider an “intensive supervision order” or a suspended prison sentence which would “reflect the serious nature of the offences but still give him the opportunity to get help”.

Ms De Maio said Thompson had a “significant record for like offences” and what looked like a “longstanding problem with drug addiction” which made for a “sad reading”.

“At age 40, I can’t give you a discount for being young and stupid or leeway because you haven’t learnt to cope in better ways,” she said.

“You have kept out of trouble for some significant time, which shows with support you can lead a better lifestyle, but there are periods reflected in your record where you have been off the rails and do silly things.

“These can’t be excused because of drug addiction.”

Ms De Maio said prison was the only option but she did not want to impose too long and “extinguish all hope”.

“I’m hopeful at age 40 you can get on top of your addiction,” she said in suspending the two-year sentence for two years.

“Suspending for two years is a long time but you need it and the offences warrant it,” she said.

She also imposed supervision and program conditions so there is “not an easy out”.

“I wish you all the luck in the world. You need to change and cope better,” Ms De Maio said.

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