A thief has admitted making a “very stupid” mistake when he stole a beloved gorilla statue from a retirement complex.
Matthew Newbould pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing the 20kg garden ornament named Garry from a retirement complex in St Helena, northeast of Melbourne, on June 6.
The 33-year-old man went to the village of Leith Park with a friend to buy a chest of drawers when he spotted the statue perched on some tree stumps, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court was told.
Newbould grabbed Garry and placed him in the back of a van he had hired from Bunnings before driving off.
A member of the public spotted the gorilla perched on the back of the vehicle and took a photo before contacting police.
Newbould was arrested on July 5 and a search of his phone revealed text messages to friends, including one that read: “LOL I stole a gorilla so what?”
He was also disqualified from driving at the time of the robbery, having lost his licence in July last year.
His lawyer, Rebecca Elder, told the court that Newbould made a stupid and opportunistic decision in stealing from Garry and that he never intended to sell the statue.
Newbould grabbed Garry and placed him in the back of a van he had hired from Bunnings before driving off.
A thief has admitted making a “very silly” mistake when he stole a beloved statue of a gorilla named Garry (pictured) from a retirement complex on June 6.
Newbould also admitted to Magistrate Michael Wighton that he had made a serious mistake.
“It was nonsense,” he told the court.
Ms Elder asked for Newbould to be given a fine or a community service order as both were within the scope of the offence.
But Wighton said the combination of the robbery and unlicensed driving made the offence more serious.
Matthew Newbould (pictured in black shirt) pleaded guilty to stealing the 20kg gorilla from a retirement complex in St Helena, north-east of Melbourne, on June 6.
Garry was spotted at a Melbourne property during a police flight
He ordered Newbould to undergo a community corrections order assessment on Monday, ahead of a sentencing hearing in September.
“Keep working so you don’t get into trouble,” Wighton told him.
The 33-year-old’s bail has been extended until his next court date.
