Mathew Rusconi, 21, of Shepparton pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to two counts of possessing methamphetamines, two counts of drug driving, three counts of driving while suspended, careless driving, theft, attempted theft from a vehicle, two counts of obtaining property by deception, two counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail and contravening a bail condition.
Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Brent O’Grady told the court Rusconi and a co-accused were spotted on CCTV cameras driving in Sanctuary Dve estate in Kialla in streets where a series of thefts and attempted thefts from vehicles occurred during the night on January 15 last year.
A wallet was stolen from an unlocked car, and then Rusconi used it at a Shepparton service station at 4.25am to buy $40 worth of scratchies and a $50 Neosurf credit — which allows you to buy things online without a credit card.
Twenty-three minutes later Rusconi again used the stolen card to buy cigarettes and fuel at another Shepparton service station.
Rusconi denied stealing from cars, instead saying he “lost” his co-accused for about 30 minutes “when he was going to urinate”, Leading Sen Constable O’Grady said.
Rusconi also told police he was “handed the credit card” to purchase goods and did not know it was stolen.
The court was told that in a separate incident, Rusconi’s Holden Rodeo collided with a parked Mazda BT-50 on The Boulevard in Shepparton on February 7 last year.
He told police “I was just driving and I came across the first bend, the next thing I knew I hit my head”, Leading Sen Constable O’Grady said.
He also said his wheel alignment was out.
Police found a pocketknife in the footwell of Rusconi’s car and a ziplock bag containing methamphetamines in his wallet when they pulled him over in Kialla on April 18, 2021.
On May 14 and May 29, 2021, Rusconi was caught drug driving in Shepparton.
The court heard that on June 9, 2021, Rusconi was spotted driving in Shepparton, after his P-plate licence had been suspended five days earlier.
He was caught again driving on a suspended licence two more times the following month.
The court was told that on June 2, 2021, police found an ice pipe and methamphetamines in a ziplock bag under Rusconi’s jacket when he was pulled over by police in Shepparton.
Rusconi’s solicitor Megan McKenna said her client had not come to the attention of police since being released on a Court Integrated Services Program in July last year and had “worked hard to rehabilitate himself” since then.
Rusconi was fined $1200 on all charges and lost his driver’s licence for six months.
He was also ordered to pay $189 in restitution for money spent on the stolen card.
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