A 34-year-old man has been extradited from NSW, accused of taking part in multiple burglaries and robberies at Canberra clubs in March 2023.
Clubs across the Territory were allegedly targeted between 1 March and 29 March, with police describing the following incidents:
- A Holden utility was broken into and damaged in the car park of the Belconnen Soccer Club.
- The Ainslie Football Club was broken into and a cash machine damaged with cash stolen.
- The Southern Cross Club in Jamison was broken into and a cash machine was damaged beyond repair.
- The Belconnen Soccer Club was broken into twice causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
- The Belconnen Labor Club was broken into and a cash machine damaged with cash stolen.
- A Honda Odyssey was stolen from a residence in Fisher and an Audi A3 was stolen from Ngunnawal.
- The Ginninderra Labor Club was broken into, alcohol was stolen and items in the club were damaged. A Mitsubishi ASX in the club car park was “unlawfully entered”, and gift cards were stolen.
- The Weston Creek Labor Club was broken into with a coffee machine stolen and items in the club damaged.
- The Burns Club in Kambah was subject of a ram raid with the stolen Honda Odyssey and robbed by two men while staff were present.
Work by ACT Criminal Investigations officers resulted in an arrest warrant being obtained by police, with the 34-year-old suspect located in Broulee on the South Coast.
He was arrested on Friday (19 May) and faced Batemans Bay Local Court, where his bail was refused and he was extradited to the ACT.
The man’s been charged with 21 offences, including six counts of aggravated burglary, six counts of property damage, six counts of theft, two counts of ride/drive in a motor vehicle without consent and aggravated robbery.
Further charges are pending.
He’s scheduled to front ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday (23 May).
A police statement explained investigations had also led to a search warrant being executed in Phillip, where multiple items were seized.
“A second offender was arrested at the residence and is facing one count of aggravated burglary in relation to the burglary at the Southern Cross Club in Jamison,” a statement said.
“Further inquiries are ongoing in relation to other incidents.”
ACT Policing Detective Acting Inspector Matt Innes said fleeing over the border did not mean an offender was beyond the reach of Canberra authorities.
“This recent arrest should serve as a warning to those that commit crimes in the ACT,” he said.
“We will use each and every resource at our disposal – including utilising our close working relationship with the NSW Police Force to conduct arrests across the border.”
Original Article published by Claire Fenwicke on Riotact.