A distinctive pair of black and white shoes is the key piece of evidence in the trial of a man who allegedly smashed a stolen truck through a fence at Veolia in Invermay, a Supreme Court jury heard on Wednesday.
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Cade Geordie Haines has pleaded not guilty to burglary, attempted motor vehicle stealing, three counts of injuring property and motor vehicle stealing on November 25, 2018.
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Crown prosecutor Claire Darvell said extensive CCTV footage meant it was a circumstantial case of "whodunnit" rather than what happened.
Defence counsel Fran McCracken said the issue was whether the jury could be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that it was Mr Haines.
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In her opening address Ms Darvell said a man wearing a hoodie, gloves, a face mask and black and white shoes had broken into Veolia Environmental Services about 5.20am.
He had tried to steal a Mazda utility by ramming it into the fence for 10 minutes before giving up.
He then stole a Isuzu truck to smash through the fence.
She said Detective Dean Logan visited Mr Haines home in December 2018.
He noticed a pair of black and white shoes in the lounge room of the house similar to those he had seen on the CCTV footage.
He also saw a Isuzu truck in the driveway and after searching a database noticed it was a similar model to one stolen from Veolia.
Detective Logan checked Mr Haines' Facebook page and saw an image from November 3 of a pair of black and white shoes with a message: "Thanks Mum for giving me these".
When arrested, Mr Haines told police that he had found the truck on the side of the road and decided to take it home to use at work.
Ms Darvell said the truck had the same vehicle identification number as the stolen truck.
"You will need to assess whether finding the the truck is a reasonable explanation," she told the jury.
"The state believes that that the only reasonable conclusion is that Mr Haines is that person."
The trial, before Justice Michael Brett in the Launceston Supreme Court, continues Thursday.