Police & Court

Numurkah bank burglars caught out by fake cash and exploding dye

By Anna McGuinness

Feb 8, 2022

Court: A Numurkah man has been sentenced to community work after pleading guilty to an “opportunistic” crime. Photo by Megan Fisher

An “opportunistic” crime after discovering a bank door was accidentally left open has resulted in 100 hours of community work for a Numurkah man.

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Alan Walker, 62, of Numurkah pleaded guilty at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to burglary and theft.

The court heard that just after midnight on September 9, 2021, CCTV captured Walker and a co-accused sliding open the door of a Numurkah bank, which hadn’t been properly locked and was open by a few centimetres.

The prosecutor told the court Walker and the co-accused put on face coverings and had a look around the inside of the bank, taking two dye packs from a drawer which had a real $50 note on top and fake ones underneath.

When they walked out of the store, the dye packs activated and they dropped the packs, which spilled dye on the footpath.

Lawyer Ian Michaelson said it was an “opportunistic” crime — the pair had been going to the ATM when they noticed the door to the bank hadn’t been closed properly and decided to have a look around.

Mr Michaelson said Walker was unemployed and received the Newstart Allowance and had entered an early plea of guilty.

Magistrate Ian Watkins said while it was clear it was opportunistic, it was also “stupid”.

“What made you think you could go into a bank at that time of the night and not be filmed by CCTV?” he said.

Magistrate Watkins convicted Walker and imposed a corrections order for 12 months with 100 hours of community work.