Albany man stole 93-year-old’s wallet after offering to unload his shopping, avoids immediate jail time

An Albany man has avoided immediate jail time for stealing a 93-year-old man’s wallet from his pocket after offering to help him unload his groceries in a shopping centre car park. Brodie Williams, 31, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on June 29 and pleaded guilty to eight charges, including stealing from person of another which was laid over the April 27 incident. Police prosecutor Sgt Peter Yuswak told the court Williams approached the elderly victim, who uses a walking stick, about 12.30pm when he was unloading shopping bags into his car outside the Spencer Park shopping centre. Williams offered to help the man and put one bag into his car before stealing his wallet from his back pocket. He stole $1578 in cash from the wallet and dumped the wallet on the ground. Sgt Yuswak said after he was arrested by police Williams admitted to the offence and told them: “I knew it was wrong, I just took a couple of shillings and walked away”. Williams was also sentenced for a series of gains benefit by fraud, stealing and cannabis offences, all committed in Albany. Defence lawyer Georgia Herford told the court Williams suffered from ADHD, partial deafness and an intellectual disability. She said Williams had a difficult childhood growing up in Albany and had been in and out of jail for much of his adult life. Ms Herford said Williams was a carer for his ill mother, which Magistrate Dianne Scaddan disputed. “If that was the case then I would assume he would have very little time to be out committing offences,” she said. The offending breached a community-based order imposed on February 23. Ms Scaddan was scathing of Williams’ behaviour and said it appeared the “awful lot of intervention” by the court for his past offending had “very little effect”. “You telling the court that you will repay the money is not worth the air it is breathed on, to be blunt,” she said. She said Williams’ explanation to police that he had only stolen “a couple of shillings”, “waters down (his) remorse, or reported remorse” and questioned whether he had expressed remorse to get a more lenient court outcome. He was sentenced to a nine-month prison term, suspended for 12 months and fined $1,100. A compensation order was made for Williams to repay the money stolen from the wallet.