A TAMWORTH man who broke in and stole his friend’s car and used it in the ram-raid of a local auction house will learn his fate later this month.
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Corey James Hall faced a sentencing hearing in Tamworth District Court yesterday morning where his solicitor asked the court to find special circumstances for her client, who was being housed in an adult prison for the first time.
“He’s a young man that needs assistance,” solicitor Wendy McAuliffe said.
“His record is indicative of a young man who drinks too much and behaves badly.”
Hall has admitted to two counts of aggravated break-and-enter and commit serious indictable offence in company, after he broke into a Larool St home, stole his friend’s blue Holden Commodore and used it in a ram-raid on Country Auctions in Nemingha, in the early hours of April 26.
The court heard the offences were aggravated because he was on a good behaviour bond at the time, as well as on conditional bail after he got into a brawl in March. A DPP solicitor told the court while the ram-raid was a “spontaneous” offence, there was some organisation involved.
“Mr Hall was involved in the planning of the offence,” she said.
“They certainly thought about it in terms of getting hoodies, beanies, gloves and taking the car from their friend.”
The court heard the ram-raid and items stolen had left Country Auctions with a damage bill of $18,500, and “some of it is unaccounted for”, Judge Cogswell SC said.
“They drove their friend’s car into it,” he told the court.
“It was his mate’s car.”
Tamworth Target Action Group police arrested Hall in Tamworth in May following investigations into the ram-raid, and the 20-year-old has been in custody since.
The DPP said Hall “had provided assistance” to police in the investigation, and had entered an early guilty plea.
She also said he had shown “genuine remorse” about his offending, but had had chances in the past to get help for his drinking, and “hadn’t engaged” with authorities.
“He has received a level of help from Community Corrections in the past,” the DPP solicitor said.
Ms McAuliffe submitted detailed written submissions in the sentencing hearing and conceded her client had to face a “custodial penalty”.
“He accepts that he’s a person who shouldn’t drink,” she said.
Judge Cogswell will hand down his sentence in a Sydney court later this month.
Hall remains behind bars, while a co-accused is yet to enter a plea and remains before the court on Supreme Court bail.
Two charges of stealing the vehicle and driving it while suspended will also be taken into account in Hall’s sentencing, and he will also be re-sentenced on assault and intimidation offences after lodging a severity appeal.