Man jailed for stealing chips from gambler at Adelaide Casino
A man who stole $40,000 worth of gambling chips from a Chinese national at the Adelaide Casino has been jailed for at least five months.
Khodr Sam Dib, 21, admitted he and two others had been following and watching the victim win at Baccarat at the Adelaide Casino in February last year, and that he had taken the man's satchel, which he had left on a seat behind him.
Dib told the Adelaide Magistrates Court he had a drug habit and had debts to pay off, and did not know what was in the satchel.
The court heard the bag contained numerous identification documents as well as cash and casino chips, which Dib took to a Morphett Vale house to repay his debts.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of dishonestly taking property without the owner's consent.
The court heard Dib's co-accused, Alan Minh Tran, 20, had thought Dib was joking when he mentioned wanting to take the satchel, and was shocked when he eventually did.
But Tran later contacted Dib, who was seen moving swiftly from the casino with the bag on CCTV, and asked for money because his family had financial troubles.
Tran met with Dib in Hindley Street and was given $4,000.
He pleaded guilty to dishonestly receiving property without consent.
Charges against a third man did not go ahead.
Theft was opportunistic: magistrate
The court was told police were able to recover money found in Tran's possession as well as a further $2,000 found at Dib's house, however the satchel was empty when recovered from the Morphett Vale house.
Magistrate Bob Harrap said the men had little prospect of being able to repay the money and declined a request for a compensation order.
He said Tran's offending was "opportunistic" and was motivated "by need rather than greed".
Tran was convicted and placed on a $200 bond to be of good behaviour for 18 months.
Mr Harrap said Dib's offending was significantly more serious.
"He stole the satchel ... he immediately went elsewhere with the proceeds of his theft and an innocent victim is left without a significant amount of money," Mr Harrap said.
"He perhaps didn't attend the casino with the intention of stealing any items ... but when he saw his opportunity he took it."
Mr Harrap sentenced Dib to 12 months and four weeks in prison with a five-month non-parole period, backdated to October 2014 to account for time already spent in custody.
The sentence included three months for the unlawful possession of identification documents found in his car, three weeks for driving off without paying for $40 worth of petrol and a week for breaching his bail by testing positive for drugs.
The sentence means Dib will be eligible to seek parole next month.
