20 hours Ago By Natalie Croxon
Two men travelled several hours on a round trip from western Sydney to Helensburgh last year, just to come away with a stolen dirt bike. SALE ON NOW! Tap into unlimited access Login or signup to continue reading Kurt Alderton pleaded guilty at Wollongong Local Court during a brief appearance on Wednesday to aggravated enter and steal in relation to the crime he committed in the early hours of March 13 last year. Agreed facts tendered to the court said the victim was a longtime resident of Mclerie Street in Helensburgh, and shared the home with her husband and children.
The family had six dirt bikes, which they kept chained together in the garage, but a few days before the break-in, one of the children forgot to lock the garage door runner and place the wire used to lock the bikes together back through the rims. At 5.30am on March 13, the victim awoke to go to Pilates but on her way out, she noticed that the garage door was open two-thirds of the way and one of the bikes - a Yamaha YZ250 - was missing.
She alerted her son, who contacted police. He also noticed a hole in the garage door. Late the night before, Alderton, 40, and another man had set off from western Sydney.
They were detected travelling east at a toll point on the M5 at Hammondville at 12.02am, and by 3am Alderton's partner's phone, which he was using, was detected in the Helensburgh area. Between 3am and 3.
18am, Alderton and the other man broke into the garage of a family's home in Helensburgh and stole the Yamaha bike. CCTV footage taken from the adjoining Boswell Street showed Alderton and his co-accused carrying a dirt bike about 3.18am.
The men then returned home, recorded at a motorway toll point in western Sydney at 4.56am. The following month Alderton was arrested, when police came knocking at his Lethbridge Park home.
On Wednesday, Magistrate David Williams adjourned sentencing to obtain a report on Alderton's background, risk of reoffending, and suitability for certain penalties. Alderton will return to court at a later date. Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs and education.
Our Watch award winner. If you've got a story, let me know. Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs and education.
Our Watch award winner. If you've got a story, let me know. More from Court and Crime Newsletters & Alerts Daily Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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