Prank, fireworks land men in court

JORDAN Rhys McClelland will think twice next time he's asked to pull a seemingly harmless party prank.

The 19-year-old was participating in a scavenger hunt with his mates one night and the group was told to steal a garden gnome.

But what McClelland and his friends saw as a practical joke was actually a crime. And the teenager yesterday fronted court as a result.

On January 13, concerned Pt Vernon residents called police to say they had seen a car slow down and switch its lights off while still driving in Chanak Close.

They'd watched as a figure got out, jumped the fence of a property and took a garden gnome.

McClelland, a Pt Vernon resident, was the getaway driver.

Witnesses took down the car's registration number, which sent police knocking on McClelland's door the next day.

He admitted to stealing the statue as a prank and said he planned to return it later that day.

The teenager pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court yesterday to one count of trespass.

Duty lawyer Justin Geldard said it was hardly the "crime of the century" and Magistrate Graeme Tatnell had to agree.

"It's more of a prank-type thing ... (but) there could have been more serious offences arising."

Mr Tatnell fined McClelland $250, without recording a conviction, and ordered him to go home and "have a good think about things".

Another man who thought his actions were harmless also faced court.

Joseph Keith Francis had residents thinking they'd heard gunshots when he set of fireworks at Booral on January 20.

"You'd have to have your head in the clouds somewhat these days, Mr Francis, if you weren't aware fireworks were illegal."

Francis, 26, was fined $400 for possessing explosives.