Apai Ali refused bail, allegedly involved in thefts and burglary

A Norlane man is accused of stealing car keys from a home while a woman was asleep and then driving the vehicle to allegedly rob a prestigious school.

Apai Ali. Picture: Facebook

A Norlane man is accused of stealing car keys from a home while a woman was asleep and then driving the vehicle to allegedly steal laptops and credits cards from a presitgious school.

Apai Ali, 25 is charged with a number of burglary and theft related offences and failed in his bid to get bail.

Mr Ali appeared in the dock of the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday wearing a black T-shirt and sat quietly throughout most of the proceedings.

Senior Constable Kieran Mullet said Mr Ali was accused of unlawfully entering a house in Prahran just after midnight on June 4.

Constable Mullet said Mr Ali made his way into the home through the rear door which was left ajar, while the victim was asleep in her bedroom.

“He accessed a kitchen area and stole a set of vehicle keys located on the dining table, which belonged to a white Audi belonging to the victim, and also stole her wallet,” Constable Mullet said.

The court heard Mr Ali was seen on CCTV footage at a petrol station sometime later and tried to use the woman’s card to buy $50 worth of goods, but the transaction was blocked.

Mr Ali was also said to be wearing a blue T-shirt at the time of the alleged offence, which was also the same T-shirt he was wearing when he was arrested.

At 4am, he allegedly went to the Melbourne Girls Grammar in South Yarra in the Audi, where he is accused of forcing entry to the staffroom and stealing a wallet and four laptops.

Security guards at the school found the Audi, and also found a lockbox in the car, which had been stolen in an aggravated burglary a few hours earlier.

The court heard Mr Ali may have been a co-accused in that burglary.

At 12pm on June 4, Mr Ali was located in Norlane and appeared to be drug affected.

He was allegedly found to be in possession of methamphetamine, bank cards, and a small bottle of GHB.

Constable Mullet told the court that at the time, Mr Ali was on five counts of bail, including affray, sexual exposure in a public place, multiple offences of theft from shop, and multiple offences of possessing methamphetamine and possessing GHB.

Mr Ali’s lawyer, Sarah Wood, said the case against her client was based on circumstantial evidence.

Magistrate Ann McGarvie refused bail.

“I do believe he is at real risk given his priors,” she said.

“He is at real risk to people in the community, including people who are asleep in their own homes and anyone driving while he is driving unlicensed and potentially seriously substance affected.”

Mr Ali will appear in court again on July 3.

Originally published as Apai Ali refused bail, allegedly involved in thefts and burglary