Aussie admits to 81-cent theft from 1992

• Tweet

SURFERS PARADISE, Australia, April 18 (UPI) -- An Australian lawyer admitted in court to stealing 81 cents from a wishing fountain nearly two decades ago.

Simon Matters, 38, of Victoria was charged in 1992 with grabbing a handful of change from the wishing fountain in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, when he was 19 years old and he went home after denying the allegations to police, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported Wednesday.

However, he recently discovered charges of stealing and failing to appear in court had been filed and he turned himself over to Gold Coast police.

Matters admitted to the charges Wednesday morning in Southport Magistrates Court. Chief Magistrate Ron Kilner accepted the plea and ruled Matters would not face any sentencing and the conviction would not be entered on his criminal record.