Culprits target the Morwell Golf Club on Fairway Dr, vandalising shed and golf carts, stealing eight of them

CCTV footage has shown “disgusting” vandals who broke into a shed at a Morwell sporting club and took golf carts for joy rides, causing more than $20k damage by covering them in graffiti.

CCTV footage has revealed the moment heartless vandals broke into a sports club in the state’s east for the second time in two weeks, took golf carts on joy rides and covered them in graffiti in an attack labelled “disgusting” and “terrible”.

The Morwell Golf Club on Fairway Dr was broken into over the weekend with the culprits gaining access to a shed where they graffitied golf carts in white, black and red before stealing eight of the vehicles.

The inside of the shed was also vandalised and it’s believed the offenders caused damage to numerous grassed areas within the facility.

Club president Eric Harrison said the first break-in took place on November 11.

“We had two members’ cart sheds broken into — they took carts out of there and damaged probably 12 or 13 members’ carts,” Mr Harrison said.

“They broke into the back of the shed and drove the carts out through the roller door and broke the roller down.”

Mr Harrison said offenders broke into another shed in the early hours of Monday morning.

The Morwell Golf hire cart shed was broken into and multiple karts were vandalised by culprits. Picture: Facebook

The Morwell Golf Club’s cart hire shed was also graffitied. Picture: Facebook

“In there we had eight carts where they spray painted them and took them out for joy rides,” he said.

Mr Harrison said in total, more than 20 of the carts were vandalised.

“I think it was 1.45am that they came in and they were there until 3.30, so they were there for quite a while and they drove the carts,” he said.

“I got a phone call at 5.30 saying the police had found the carts on the road.

“I’ve put in cameras but they’re just not sharp enough to get faces — we can see the people, we can see what they’re up to but I haven’t got facial recognition.

“The members are not very happy of course — they put their carts away thinking ‘we’re right, we’ve locked the doors’ and expect everything to be all right.

CCTV footage provided by the Morwell Golf Club shows the offenders taking the golf carts for 'joy rides'. Picture: Supplied

Mr Harrison added 40 members’ golf carts and the damaged hire carts were taken off site due to needing repairs.

“I will have to get some more hire carts as soon as I can get more security around the place,” he said.

“We had these hire carts insured — we’ve got insurance around the clubhouse and the cart sheds — but of course then it’s going to impact the members long-term.

“We’ll survive, we’re strong enough to move forward.”

Mr Harrison said he didn’t have an exact figure on the total costs of damages the offenders had done.

“Just from my observation, I think we’re talking more than $20,000 worth of damage,” he said.

The golf carts were tagged in red, white and black spray paint. Picture: Facebook

“We know one cart was $600 — they knew what they were doing — they just forced the door up from the bottom, broke it and then somebody must’ve got in and removed a big metal steel bar and ripped the door of the hinges.

“They’ve got no thought of what damage they’ve caused — the more we get it out there the more people are going to be alert.”

Mr Harrison said soccer clubs Falcon’s and Fortuna just up the road have also been targeted before.

“They’ve had their fun at my place but they might stop somewhere else — it’s not fair to the guys that go and play their sport and enjoy themselves, to find everything wrecked on them — it’s crazy, there’s just some bad people out there,” he said.

A police spokesperson said Latrobe Crime Investigation Unit detectives were investigating the burglary.

“Police have been told up to four unknown offenders gained entry into the sporting shed on Fairway Dr by damaging the roller door sometime between 7pm on Sunday 26 and 5am on Monday 27 November,” the spokesperson said.

“Once inside, the offenders damaged and graffitied the premises before stealing eight golf buggies.”

The spokesperson added that all of the buggies were recovered.

“Golf Club hire cart shed has been broken into a second time in two weeks — if anyone has any information please let me know thanks,” the admin of Morwell Golf Club posted to their Facebook page.

The post attracted disgust from Gippsland locals.

“Infuriating for the club,” Tim Dye commented on the post.

“Wow, that’s disgusting! What is wrong with some people,” Kirsten Beauchamp-stallion wrote.

“Oh that’s terrible. Disgusting people. I hope they catch them,” Carol Grubb said.

“Cameras are a must. Probably same people that tagged the whole of Hourigan Rd,” Brandon Moore commented.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

Anyone with further information, witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000 or call the Morwell police station on [phone].