Inner west: Gucci handbag, car thief Jason Bell jailed
Just weeks after Redfern teen Jason Bell became a dad, he went on a crime spree across the inner west stealing items including a Gucci handbag and a car. Today he was handcuffed in front of his mother and partner and taken to jail.
Wentworth Courier
Don't miss out on the headlines from Wentworth Courier. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Disowned bisexual Muslim befriended by alleged drug dealer
- “Scumbag on paper” charged over alleged baby threats
A man sobbed as he was handcuffed in front of his mother and girlfriend after being sentenced to jail for a night of crime which included swiping both a Gucci handbag and a car from homes across the inner west.
Going by the date of the tattoo splashed his torso in dedication to his daughter, the July 22 burglaries were committed just weeks after Jason Bell, 19, became a father last year.
The court heard the teenager, who fronted Downing Centre Local Court with a broken arm, has been “heavily” using drugs and alcohol since he was just 10-years-old.
The first home Bell and his two accomplices targeted was on Mayes St, Annandale where they made off with the $1600 designer handbag and around $340 in cash.
They moved on to nearby Young St where the startled owners heard things being rattled around and then the family car start.
Items including the family’s $3500 Apple Macbook Pro were strewn around the yard and several handbags, mobile phones and two sets of keys were taken.
Using their stolen Hyundai i30 as the getaway car, the trio made their way to Glebe where they committed their final crime.
This time, one of the home’s occupants caught them in the act after hearing voices and seeing a torch light on the stairs and gave chase.
“Two jumped the fence and he grabbed onto one man causing him to drop a basket containing an Apple Macbook and a Nintendo Switch,” Magistrate Jennifer Price read out from the police statement of facts.
The car was found written off nearby.
Bell, from Redfern, pleaded guilty to the three counts of aggravated break and enter and one count of stealing a car in when he appeared at court in March and came before Magistrate Price on Tuesday to be sentenced.
Magistrate Price noted Bell already had a significant history in the short time since becoming an adult.
It included failing to comply with his reporting obligations since being sentenced for a drug possession charge and being convicted on a common assault charge while on bail.
“The sentencing assessment report is not a particularly positive one,” Magistrate Price noted.
Bell was deemed to be at a high risk of reoffending and unsuitable to undertake community service due to his mental health issues and lack of compliance with the current order in place.
He suffers from complex trauma, PTSD, major depression and a minor intellectual disability.
Bell began sobbing as he was sentenced to a 21 month term of imprisonment with a non parole period of nine months.
He hugged his partner and mother, who urged him to “stay strong”, before submitting to a temperature check and having his one good arm handcuffed.