Court told yacht thief 'seriously unwell'
by Daniella Miletic on 26 May 2006
Stolen Premier Cru moored at Port Sorell SW
A man who stole a $350,000 luxury yacht and sailed it from Melbourne to Tasmania told a court he was no pirate and that he was sorry for what he had done.
David Appleby was depressed and considering suicide when he stole a 14-metre yacht, Premier Cru, from Blairgowrie, on the Mornington Peninsula, on January 31 last year.
Yesterday his lawyer, Tony Burns, said Appleby was 'seriously unwell' when he stole the yacht and asked County Court Judge Leo Hart not to send him to jail.
He told the pre-sentence hearing his client suffered from a bipolar disorder that was aggravated at the time of the theft because it had been misdiagnosed and medicated as depression.
The court heard that Appleby, 41, was taking his dog, Cosmo, for a walk when he saw the yacht. Paddling a dinghy with his hands, Appleby boarded the yacht with his dog and hot-wired the motor.
Mr Burns said his client thought about killing himself by walking off the back of the yacht, but decided against it because his death might have caused his dog and the yacht to be destroyed.
Meanwhile, Phil Murphy, part-owner of the yacht and the son of the late wine merchant Dan Murphy, chartered a plane and spotted it in Bass Strait.
The yacht was found three days after the theft, anchored off the Tasmanian town of Port Sorell. He handed himself into police, telling them he was 'no Jack Sparrow', the charismatic movie pirate played by Johnny Depp.
Appleby has admitted stealing goods between 1994 and 2004, including two speedboats, a $70,000 Land Rover, a power-ski, a boat and an earth moving vehicle worth $45,000. He also stole a $25,000 caravan to be ready for a trip around Australia with his wife and two children.
Appleby, of Patterson Lakes, has pleaded guilty to 13 theft charges and five counts relating to the possession of unregistered firearms. Judge Leo Hart bailed Appleby for sentencing on a date to be fixed.
For assistance or information visit www.beyondblue.org.au, call Suicide Helpline Victoria on 1300 651 251 or Lifeline on 131 114.
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