Man accused of taking part in Bluff Point Post Office ram raid with stolen car faces court

A man accused of stealing a car from a Mid West mine site and then taking part in a ram raid of a Geraldton post office has been released from custody. Police arrested Kyle Adrian Gilbert on Thursday following their investigations into the damage and burglary of a Bluff Point post office and newsagency last weekend. He appeared in Geraldton Magistrates Court from custody on Friday after being charged with stealing a motor vehicle, aggravated burglary and two counts of stealing. Prosecutor Sen. Const. Dean Solman said police would allege on June 18 about 6am, the 23-year-old stole an unlocked Toyota Hilux from a Mount Magnet mine site and drove the vehicle 340km to Geraldton. It is alleged Mr Gilbert was a passenger when the vehicle rammed into the Bluff Point LPO the following day about 2am. Mr Gilbert is also accused of stealing some mail worth $10. Security cameras allegedly captured Mr Gilbert refuelling the car at Puma Glenfield and driving off without paying for $180 of petrol. Sen. Const. Solman said police recovered the vehicle at 1.30pm the next day, dumped close to Mr Gilbert’s residence. Defence counsel Paul Gazia said Mr Gilbert should be released on bail as he “was not going anywhere”. “He’s lived in WA all his life, his mob are from here,” Mr Gazia said. But police were opposed to bail, with Sen. Const. Solman saying Mr Gilbert had a history of aggravated burglary and not taking bail conditions seriously. Magistrate Heidi Watson said the nature of the offences were serious, and Mr Gilbert would “most likely” be jailed if convicted. Given Mr Gilbert’s young age, Ms Watson said “strict bail conditions” would need to be upheld. “Any breach of bail will be taken seriously,” she said. Mr Gilbert was not required to enter pleas and was granted bail under protective curfew conditions. He will reappear in the same court next month.