A MAN who stole a ride-on mower from a school, among many items in a crime spree, has been given a two-month prison sentence.
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Antonio Joseph Falla, 35, of Bundanoon, appeared in court by audio-visual link to the Goulburn jail on May 18.
He pleaded guilty to charges of larceny, having an unregistered and unsafely stored firearm, and possessing stolen goods.
Police facts tendered in Goulburn Local Court said that on February 8 at 3.45am, Falla and another man were captured on CCTV driving a white Holden Captiva SUV vehicle into the Highlands School, Mittagong, and parking at the caged machinery area.
They were observed cutting through the fence with bolt cutters and pushing a Husqvarna ride-on mower onto a trailer.
They also took a whipper snipper and containers of fuel before placing a tarpaulin over the trailer and leaving.
On February 10, police attended and searched Falla's house in Bundanoon, finding a number of suspected stolen items.
These included a ride-on mower, an air rifle, tools, two trailers, a water pump and copper wire with a pile of off-cuts.
Falla was arrested and taken to Bowral Police Station, where he made admissions to the thefts from the school.
He claimed he did not know where the ride-on mower was, since he had left it at a disused hotel in Picton.
In court, Falla's solicitor said his client had no criminal record prior to these offences.
Falla had been heavily under the effects of the drug 'ice' at the time, his solicitor said.
"He needs to address his ice addiction, but he has already spent three months in custody and he has a low risk of re-offending," his solicitor said.
Magistrate Carolyn Huntsman said there was a high level of premeditation and criminality involved in the crime spree.
She also noted the copper wire was stolen from the disused Corrimal Mine Shaft on Picton Rd in November last year and that Falla was on bail for this offence when he committed the other crimes.
Falla pleaded guilty to two charges of larceny, possessing an unregistered firearm, not keeping a firearm safely and five counts of possessing stolen goods.
Ms Huntsman sentenced him to two months jail and a further 16-month suspended sentence.
