Viewbank man was out on bail when he allegedly stole $10k worth of goods

A MAN who allegedly stole $10,000 worth of items in Viewbank had been bailed on previous burglary charges relating to crimes in the same suburb, a court has heard.

A MAN who said he “wouldn’t hurt a fly” has been arrested after allegedly stealing $10,000 worth of items while on bail.

Neville Poli, 45, faced Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon for a bail hearing on seven charges including burglary, thefts and attempted burglaries and thefts from homes and cars in Viewbank.

Banyule police arrested Poli at his home earlier in the morning, where they say they found iPads, cameras, women’s rings and a basketball card collection from an overnight burglary in Castleton Rd.

Poli had been bailed on previous charges over allegations of burglary and theft in Viewbank in July, and was due to face court in December.

Banyule detective Senior Constable Luke Read told the court Poli faced extensive theft and dishonesty charges relating to conduct dating back to 2014.

He described Poli as a “prolific burglar in Viewbank” who had no regard for his victims, and said locals “do not feel safe due to his offending”.

Sen-Constable Read also told the court Poli admitted to officers he was an ice user at the time of his arrest.

Poli told the court he didn’t consider himself a risk to the community because he “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, and he had “never been in trouble with the law before I was 40”.

He asked Magistrate Jennifer Tregent to grant him bail as had suffered from schizophrenia since he was 18 and he had a seizure while serving a previous jail sentence for similar offences.

But Ms Tregent denied his application, saying he was returning to the court with “such regularity” and “age is no boundary for people to be sent to jail”.

Poli was further remanded into custody and will appear again in the court via video link on November 6.

Magistrate Tregent also requested Poli receive medical assistance for his condition.