'Aggrieved' son stole meat from dad's store

Luke Bowlin did not take kindly to being accused of stealing from his father's homekill butchery - so he decided to do just that.

"The victim in this matter is the defendant's father, who owns a homekill butchery store," Judge David Cameron said on Thursday, while sentencing Bowlin for the crime.

Bowlin had previously worked at his father's store.

On February 11, the 17-year-old went to the store and used a hammer to smash the door frame. He forced the door open and took 10kg of unprocessed chicken meat.

"His explanation, expanded on today by [defence lawyer Peter Brosnahan], was that his father had wrongly accused him of theft on a prior occasion, so he decided to actually commit a theft."

Judge Cameron described it as an "unusual burglary".

Bowlin pleaded guilty to burglary as well as unrelated charges of possessing cannabis, manufacturing cannabis oil, and possessing utensils for using cannabis.

During a search on the same day, police discovered 225g of dried cannabis material inside plastic bottles at Bowlin's home, as well as a muslin cloth with cannabis oil residue on it. They also found several home-made bongs, Judge Cameron said.

Mr Brosnahan said Bowlin had no criminal history, but came from a "dysfunctional" background.

"There's drugs all round him," Mr Brosnahan said.

Bowlin was a regular user of synthetic drugs before the offending, and Mr Brosnahan said the burglary happened because he was "aggrieved" that he had been accused of theft.

"Under the effects of the cannabis he thought he would do it. He's completely rudderless. He really needs some help."

A pre-sentence report said Bowlin left school at 14.

"He's described as just sitting at home at the moment because he doesn't have any employment," Judge Cameron said.

"He has a fluctuating relationship with his father, although his father has appeared in support of him in court today."

Bowlin is said to have been "abstinent" from synthetic drugs since the offending, but is considered at a medium to moderate risk of reoffending.

Judge Cameron sentenced him to nine months of intensive supervision and ordered the destruction of all drug-related paraphernalia.