A man stole vehicles, $50,000 worth of jewellery, and sex toys over a 16-day spree before being caught after falling through a roof and needing to be rescued while trying to escape from police while naked.
Matthew Gary Gruber, 45, of Shepparton, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to charges including aggravated burglary, five counts of theft, burglary, four counts of retaining stolen goods, nine counts of obtaining property by deception and two counts of dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamines, theft from a shop and breaching an alcohol interlock condition.
Police prosecutor Ibrahim Abdalla told the court the spree started when Gruber and a co-accused stole $50,000 worth of jewellery, iPods and headphones from a Yarrawonga home on February 8 last year.
He also stole an Ambulance Victoria shirt, hat and medallion, as well as computer equipment, jewellery and cash from another Yarrawonga unit the same day, and forced entry to a garage at another property.
Gruber also stole 60 bottles of perfume, $1000 in cash and sex toys from another Yarrawonga house the following day.
On February 10, the business Mulwala Tyre and Auto was broken into and four cars were stolen.
Two were dumped because they were not working well, but a Holden Captiva and a Peugeot were taken.
Stolen number plates were later seen on the Captiva which was parked at a caravan park in Tocumwal where Gruber was staying.
On February 10, a wallet, including a bank card, was stolen from a Tocumwal house, with the bank card used nine different times at businesses in Koonoomoo and Numurkah to buy $504.88 worth of goods.
When police searched where Gruber was staying at the caravan park on February 10 they found a Toyota Hilux that had been stolen from Kyneton, and some property stolen from Tocumwal and Yarrawonga.
The court was told police spotted the stolen Hilux and Captiva in Northcote on February 12.
A co-accused in the Hilux reversed at police who had to get out of the way, while Gruber crept to an elevator, Mr Abdalla said.
Mr Abdalla said on February 21, Gruber stole a purse with $2200 from a woman when he stopped on Northern Hwy at Echuca to help her get a bird out of the grill on the front of her car.
The following day when police went to arrest Gruber at an Echuca house, he attempted to escape by climbing naked out an upper storey window onto the roof of the house.
He fell through the tiles and hurt his leg and had to be rescued by the CFA in a cherry picker.
A search of his belongings at that house found items including a small amount of methamphetamines, cash, and a licence and bank card in another person’s name.
Gruber’s solicitor Matthew Mahady told the court his client had started using drugs at an early age and had spent “a great deal of his adult life” in custody.
However, he said he had been rehabilitated at The Cottage and had picked up work there as a caretaker, picking up clients from prison and in a mentoring role.
However, Mr Mahady said an argument between Gruber and his brother not long before this offending had made him fall back into heavy drug use and the offending started.
In sentencing Gruber, magistrate Peter Mithen said there was “an enormous amount of property stolen”, but he accepted a letter written by Gruber that he had “severe regret” over the offending.
Gruber was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with the 10 months and 21 days spent in pre-sentence detention to be ruled as time already served.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.