Joshua Savage and Taylor Savage front court over burglary spree

A pair of Phillip Island siblings nicked safes containing more than $650,000 mostly from homes of business owners in Bass Coast towns in order to improve their lifestyle.

Crook siblings Joshua Savage and Taylor Savage enriched their lifestyles by stealing safes containing more than $650,000 mostly Australian Dollars.

Two crook siblings who nicked safes containing more than $650,000 mostly from the homes of business owners in order to improve their lifestyle have been jailed for more than five years.

Joshua Savage and Taylor Savage appeared for sentencing in the County Court at Melbourne on Monday on a raft of burglary and theft charges relating to their crime spree in Bass Coast between January and July 2020.

Joshua Savage was sentenced to five years and eight month imprisonment and his brother received five years and four months.

Judge Kevin Doyle said the siblings targeted properties of small business owners in Inverloch, Wonthaggi, Cowes, Surf Beach, Ventnor, Sunderland Bay and Leongatha.

The most cash stolen was $300,000 from a safe in Wonthaggi belonging to Xiu Liu who ran a massage shop in Cowes on Phillip Island.

The money, stolen by Taylor Savage, was from the proceeds of a house sale in China.

The most cash stolen was $300,000 from a safe in Wonthaggi belonging to massage shop owner Xiu Liu.

In January 2020, the brothers stole a safe containing $20,000 from the home of David Cassells who ran a veterinary clinic in Cowes.

On March 23, the owner of Island Equipment Hire Troy Carton came home and discovered a safe, containing $24,000 Australian and $1000 in a mix of US and Indonesian currencies, had been ripped from the wall.

A crowbar and pliers used to rip the safe from the wall were found on the floor.

On May 10, Isidoro Spadaro who ran Paradise Pizza in Leongatha found a safe had been stolen from inside the roof space that contained between $20,000 and $30,000 cash and $30,000 worth of jewellery.

About two weeks later, the owner of The Bayside Lady restaurant in Inverloch Rayne Berg discovered a safe containing $80,000 from a combination of savings, gifts and an inheritance had been stolen from her home.

The brothers then targeted the home of Dora Caffieri in Cowes in July when they stole a safety deposit box that had $15,000 in Australian currency and $US4528 ($6751).

Taylor Savage also stole a safe which contained $47,000 from a couple that ran an earthmoving business on Phillip Island in March 2020.

Brothers Joshua Savage and Taylor Savage have been jailed for a string of burglaries in Bass Coast.

One of the charges relating to Joshua Savage was for a burglary in Cowes in 2018 when he stole a safe containing $30,000 cash and $25,000 worth of gold jewellery, including a gold men’s ruby ring.

Judge Doyle said the motive for the brothers’ offending was to improve their lifestyle by stockpiling cash and that their actions have had a significant impact on their victims.

“Most of the victims feel less safe since the offences, your offending compromised their sense of security and they feel violated at having their homes broken into.

“For many of the victims, you have also caused significant financial hardship. The steps they took to safeguard their properties proved insufficient against your organised criminality,” he said.

The minimum non parole period for Joshua Savage is three years and six months while his brother will have to serve three years and two months before he’ll be eligible for parole.