Andrew Hadfield jailed in Blacktown Local Court over crime spree

A new father will miss the first year of his child’s life after he was sentenced to jail over a crime spree starting on Christmas Eve in 2023.

Andrew Hadfield was jailed over a crime spree which spanned Christmas Eve and into the 2024 new year. Photo: Social media

A new father has been jailed over a crime spree which started with stealing $9k worth of bicycles on Christmas eve.

Hills Shire man Andrew Hadfield, 26, appeared in the Blacktown Local Court via videolink on Tuesday, June 18, supported by his parents.

The court was told Hadfield’s spree began on Christmas Eve in 2023, when he broke into an Epping garage and stole $9300 worth of property, including limited edition bikes with rare specifications.

Later, on January 3, he was recorded on CCTV breaking into a car and stole property inside it.

He was later seen driving a stolen car, despite being disqualified after an earlier conviction of dangerous operation and leading police on a chase.

Hadfield then broke into another garage on January 6, where CCTV footage captured him wearing different clothes while stealing bags of property, including five NSW Health uniforms, an iPhone charger, three custom Build-A-Bear teddy bears and Apple AirPods.

The law eventually caught up to him and he was arrested on January 7 and held in custody ever since.

Andrew Hadfield was jailed over a crime spree which spanned Christmas Eve and into the 2024 new year. Photo: Social media

The court was told Hadfield had a longstanding drug problem since he was 13-years-old, and had an extensive rap sheet.

A letter written by Hadfield and tendered to the court said his criminal behaviour was influenced by “antisocial peers” and drug use, and that Hadfield had relapsed in December.

The letter said he would go on “binges” using ice and benzodiazepines, and had been diagnosed with depression.

He stated in the letter he was prepared to go to rehab to properly address his addiction and that his time in custody had given him “a great deal of time to look at (his) life”.

Hadfield’s partner had a baby while he was incarcerated, which he said was a driving factor in going to rehab for wanting to watch his child grow up.

A second letter from the Chaplain service at Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre, where Hadfield is being held, stated Hadfield had expressed good intentions upon release.

Hadfield pleaded guilty to two charges of breaking and entering to steal goods, possessing housebreaking implements, possess prescribed restricted substance, goods in personal custody suspecting of being stolen, attempted shoplifting, driving disqualified, driving a car with an unauthorised number plate and driving a stolen car.

He was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars, but will be released on parole on July 6, 2025.

He was also ordered to pay the owner of the stolen bikes at Epping $9300 in compensation.