Rockingham vehicle theft: Rowan Martin Alan Kearney sentenced for stealing car and driving without a licence

A car thief caught driving without a licence on multiple occasions was jailed last week — but then was able to walk free straight away. Rowan Martin Alan Kearney has been in prison since he was arrested in January after a crime spree that also involved stealing from supermarkets and bottleshops. Appearing in Rockingham Magistrates Court on Friday via video call from Casuarina Prison, Kearney was sentenced to eight months in prison — the same amount of time the 36-year-old had already spent behind bars awaiting sentencing. The eight charges he was convicted of on July 4 included three counts of stealing, stealing a motor vehicle, possession of stolen or unlawfully obtained property and three counts of driving with no authority to drive under suspension. They stemmed back to January 8, when Kearney was among a group who stole more than $1400 worth of meat products from Woolworths in South Fremantle. He then stole $190 worth of items from JD Sports at Cockburn Gateway on January 13. Days later he and another person stole a blue Kia Optima, which Kearney told police he had borrowed from a friend’s house without permission and suspected it was already stolen. During his time with the stolen vehicle, Kearney and another person stole $136 worth of goods from a Bassendean BWS liquor store and when confronted by police stated: “I didn’t have the money to pay, I’m an alcoholic”. Over the ensuing week, Kearney — who has never held a WA driver’s licence — was caught driving the Kia by police or CCTV on three occasions. His lawyer told Rockingham Magistrate’s Court on Friday that Kearney’s stealing spree had followed a relapse into drugs and alcohol and suggested fines and a suspended sentence, rather than a jail term, was sufficient penalty. However Magistrate Sarah Oliver said Kearney’s record of car thefts, which had landed him in prison previously and included a suspended prison term in 2024, gave him little choice over the punishment this time. “Personal deterrence is obviously relevant here,” Ms Oliver said. “Your crime spree only ended when you were arrested — this means an immediate term of imprisonment is appropriate.” Kearney was fined $900 for the three stealing convictions and ordered to re-pay BWS $136. He was also fined $3000 for driving without authority and disqualified from driving for a further 12 months.