A man felt so overwhelmed by failing to keep up repayments on payday loans that he went out to Culcairn and stole two kilometres of copper wire.
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But at first Brandon Ebert did not think he was doing anything wrong, or so he told police after they were alerted to the theft by the ARTC - the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
That was despite the copper being valued at $3000, or $1.50 a metre.
"He told police that he was not aware that it was illegal to take it," Albury Local Court magistrate Melissa Humphreys was told in an outline of the case.
Ebert, an Albury man who had his address listed on court papers as Mooroopna, near Shepparton, pleaded guilty to a single charge of larceny.
Representing himself in court, Ebert, 22, told Ms Humphreys he stole the copper wire because he had "a lot" of payday loans "and I'm struggling financially".
"I thought it was a way of paying this off," the part-time removalist said.
Prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Pike said the sentence imposed on Ebert was important for general deterrence as the theft of such copper wire had become prevalent in the area.
The court was told the ARTC was made aware of issues with its communication and signalling systems on the line between Gerogery and Culcairn on January 1 just after 10pm.
The event, which happened on the northern side of the Olympic Highway, activated an alarm, and was described as being consistent with the line being cut.
Because of ongoing copper wire theft in the area, police were notified.
About 11.30pm, police saw a white Toyota LandCruiser, with Victorian registration, about 500 metres south of Benambra Road.
The vehicle, heading north adjacent to the rail corridor, was pulled over.
The officers immediately noticed coils of what appeared to black wire, partially covered by a silver tarpaulin, in the utility's tray.
Ebert, who was in the driver's seat, was asked to wind down his window.
When asked about the wire, Ebert said he was there "with a friend of his father's named Jamie".
After claiming he did not realise he was committing theft, Ebert told police that "Jamie" was still somewhere along the rail corridor removing more wire.
His role was to collect the wire to place in the ute.
Ms Humphreys convicted Ebert and placed him on a nine-month community corrections order.
He was also ordered to pay $3000 compensation to the ARTC.
