Homeless man who spent found money thought it was 'gift from God'

A homeless man who found a wallet and ended up using the debit card inside to buy food, magazines and alcohol justified his actions by claiming he thought the find was a "gift from God".

Jason Garner, 41, stumbled across the wallet while walking down a Geelong footpath last September.

But instead of handing in the find, he decided to keep it for himself and use the debit cards at a supermarket, a bottle shop and even a discount store. His shopping spree totalled $149.

After his arrest Garner told police his actions were out of character.

"I wouldn't normally do it but I was out on the streets, I wasn't very well mentally and I thought it was a gift from God," said Garner.

Magistrate Jon Klestadt called Garner's offence an "opportunistic crime" adding: "it's quite offensive to suggest that it (the wallet) was a gift from God."

"God doesn't provide people with opportunities to steal things unless it's for the purposes of temptation. If that's the case, you've failed miserably," said Mr Klestadt.

Garner's lawyer Nathan Goetz said his client committed the crime because he was homeless and had a lack of support.

Garner has been sentenced to three months in prison and has been ordered to pay $149.83 to the card owner.