A HANKERING for a frozen Coke is the reason a man gave police for stealing a car.
Appearing via videolink from Hakea Prison on Monday, Jason John Graves pleaded guilty to three counts of steal motor vehicle, two counts of no authority to drive and driving a vehicle with false number plates.
The prosecutor said police stopped Graves driving a stolen Holden commodore, on Read Street, Waikiki, on January 17, 2016.
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READ NOWPolice found he was also disqualified from driving.
He told police he knew the car was stolen but did not steal it himself – and ‘was on his way to the shops to buy a frozen coke’.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the maximum temperature in Perth that day was 31.4 degrees.
A few days later on January 20, police caught him driving another stolen car, a red Mitsubishi Magna with false plates in Safety Bay.
Graves had stolen keys for the car from a car yard and the car was valued at $3000.
On September 19, 2016 Graves was caught driving a stolen silver Mitsubishi Outlander on Gnangara Drive, which had been reported stolen from the Salvation Army Rockingham Branch on Read Street, Cooloongup.
He told police then that he knew it was stolen and was returning it to its owner.
Police said the 30-year-old had already spent 231 days in custody for the offences.
Magistrate Leanne Atkins took into account his time already served and placed him on a Community Based Order for 12 months, with 70 hours of community service work and a licence disqualification for a further 13 months.
Graves was also fined $800.
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