Breach, theft trigger suspended term

A West Busselton man was jailed for nine months and fined more than $1000 on Tuesday for stealing gardening equipment from a client of his father’s gardening business.

On October 17, Ryan David Johnson stole several items including a trailer, leather pouch, shovel and lawn edging at a total cost of almost $4000, violating a previous suspended jail term of seven months.

He was stopped by police on November 11 and charged with one count of stealing, one count of possess a prohibited drug (cannabis), one count of possessed drug paraphernalia in or on which there was a prohibited drug and one count of no authority to drive.

On Tuesday he pleaded guilty to all charges and the prosecution said the breach of trust warranted a term of imprisonment.

Johnson had previously been in court on drug-related charges and said he was having trouble breaking the habit.

Magistrate Dianne Scaddan said his actions had undermined the efficacy of a suspended imprisonment order.