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16-year-old charged with aggravated burglary in alleged Bendigo crime spree after less than 48 hours on bail

A Bendigo resident was allegedly thrown into the street while trying to stop a 16-year-old crim stealing his car, less than 48 hours after the teen was out on bail charged with home invasions.

Police have charged a 16-year-old, who was on bail for a spate of Bendigo home invasions, with aggravated burglary.
Police have charged a 16-year-old, who was on bail for a spate of Bendigo home invasions, with aggravated burglary.

A youth crim has allegedly continued to terrorise the Bendigo community, breaking into homes and stealing cars, almost immediately after he was released on bail charged over a spate of home invasions.

The 16-year-old was refused bail in a Children’s Court on Wednesday following an alleged crime tear across Bendigo which started less than 48 hours after he was released on bail on other matters.

Police allege the teen, alongside a number of other youth criminals, broke into a Huntly home while four young children were inside on July 25, stealing two cars.

Police opposed the teen’s bail, arguing his alleged behaviour was “unacceptable”.
Police opposed the teen’s bail, arguing his alleged behaviour was “unacceptable”.

A resident of the home ran outside to try and stop the teens from stealing the cars, grabbing onto a door before he was “dislodged” and thrown into the road, receiving minor scrapes and bruises.

Later on July 29, police allege the teen and his associates entered the garage of a Kennington home and attempted to steal a car, but were chased off by the homeowner.

He was later arrested.

Police told the court the teen had been hit with 42 charges relating to home invasions and aggravated burglaries, stealing cars and then driving dangerously in police pursuits.

Police alleged he committed these offences while breaching multiple counts of bail – including two counts granted by the Supreme Court.

The court heard the teen had allegedly breached every bail he had been released on.
The court heard the teen had allegedly breached every bail he had been released on.

Magistrate Trieu Huynh had released the teen on a deferral of sentence in May – essentially a good behaviour bond – for several home invasion charges that followed a crime spree that turned his victims’ lives “upside down”.

The teen was remanded again on June 3 on charges of aggravated burglary and car theft brought by Mornington Peninsula detectives.

Mr Huynh gave the 16-year-old another chance last week on July 24, which he conceded may be “somewhat naive”, allowing him back into the community to continue his deferred sentence.

On Wednesday, the teen applied for bail again, with his Legal Aid lawyer Nickie King arguing the boy had now spent five months in pre-sentence detention in relation to various alleged crime sprees since October last year.

Ms King argued her client was at a “critical juncture” and locking him up would only make him worse.

The teen was refused bail.
The teen was refused bail.

She argued police did not have enough evidence to prove her client was at the scenes of the crimes.

However, police alleged the teen was caught on CCTV and upon arresting him found a text message to an associate saying: “I’m hiding still, but jacks (police) near me”, giving an address 190m away from where police found the stolen cars in Shepparton.

Further forensic evidence was being extracted from the teen’s phone, which police expected would bolster the case against him.

Ms King argued the 16-year-old “might have been overwhelmed” by his “unexpected” release last week and urged the court to find exceptional circumstances and give him another chance.

She said the community was “not served” by continuing to lock the boy up and he should be given another chance and released to his “loving home” so he could avail himself of support services through Youth Justice.

The court heard Youth Justice was not supportive of the teen being released on bail after police revealed he had skipped an appointment to go and allegedly commit an aggravated burglary in Bendigo.

Magistrate Russell Kelly rejected the submissions, saying the teen knew what he was supposed to do, but had “demonstrated a history of not complying with bail at all”.

“He’s breached every bail he’s ever been on,” he said.

Mr Kelly found the teen to be an unacceptable risk to the community and refused bail.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/bendigo/16yearold-charged-with-aggravated-burglary-in-alleged-bendigo-crime-spree-after-less-than-48-hours-on-bail/news-story/6c1f03f6cd575634487c758816d45587