Michael Young: Serial thief pleads guilty to Melbourne cafe break ins, thefts

A serial thief who gorged himself on stolen cafe food while pilfering cars and laptops, couldn’t resist nicking a paperclip on his crime spree.

A serial crook has fronted court over a slew of charges, including theft of a paperclip.

A hungry thief who stole thousands of dollars worth of food and alcohol from restaurants and cafes across Melbourne has fronted court over his drugged-up stealing spree which saw him pilfer a paperclip.

Michael Young pleaded guilty in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 11 to a raft of charges, including theft, dangerous driving and drugs charges.

But despite a lengthy criminal history, Young told the court he’s “not a lost cause”.

“It’s almost a relief when I get caught. It’s like ‘you beauty, I get to go to jail and reset’,” he said.

“I function better in jail than in the community.”

The court heard the 35-year-old’s drug-fuelled crime spree, between November 2019 and January 2020, occurred just a month after he had been released from prison on similar charges.

During the “voluminous and overwhelming offending”, Young stole iPhones, laptops, tablets, cash, tools and cars “to feed his drug habit”.

He also ransacked Berwick Thai Restaurant, Kekou Restaurant in Richmond, Rupert on Rupert cocktail bar in Collingwood and Little Chloe Cafe and Roaster in Malvern East, stealing more than $10,000 worth of food and alcohol, as well as cash and cutlery.

On December 23, 2019, Young stole a key and security fob from a lockbox outside a Richmond Airbnb and helped himself to food, soft drinks and coffee which had been left out for incoming guests at the short-term rental.

Young also hired a van and used it to ram his way into Precision Motive in Keysborough and made off with power tools, batteries and a computer, as well as a chequebook, cashbox and a paperclip.

The total value of the items, including the paperclip, was $6405.

Young also pleaded guilty to reckless conduct endangering serious injury for repeatedly attempting to ram a man’s car after the Citywide employee caught him trying to break into Bowens hardware in North Melbourne in November, 2019.

Young tried to ram the security gate at the hardware before using an angle grinder to cut the chain on the gate, with the sparks alerting the witness to Young’s misdeeds.

Young jumped back in the stolen Land Rover he’d been driving and chased the witness through the streets of North Melbourne, throwing bottles and other objects at the man’s car.

The chase came to an end when the witness drove to the North Melbourne police station to report Young.

Young’s lawyer told the court her client had a long history of drug abuse, which started when he was just 11 years old.

“He was 11 when he started using cannabis and soon after he progressed to methamphetamines and by age 14 he was using heroin,” she said.

Young told the court his mother was also a drug addict who would “move us around” a lot.

He said lack of stability, including long periods of homelessness, led him to continue to use drugs.

“I know I’ve been given a lot of opportunities on CCOs and parole but my issue has always been stability and the environment that I’m in,” he said.

“I keep getting released and I’ve got nowhere to go so I get put into share accommodation which — I mean, let’s be honest, it’s just a drug den.

“And it doesn’t matter whether or not I’ve been clean in jail, it doesn’t matter how much I don’t want to use drugs, I’m surrounded by (drug use) and eventually … it’ll be a bad day or something and the only way I know how to cope with those bad days is to use drugs and there goes the snowball again and I keep stuffing up.”

Young, appearing via video link from Port Phillip Prison, said he had been found suitable for NDIS housing and support, which would give him stability if he was released.

“I’m embarrassed and it makes me cringe to think I’ve done all this and now I’m clean and sober, (the offending) doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

“It’s a big bloody mess but I know I’m not a lost cause.”

Magistrate Trieu Huynh said there was a degree of planning involved in Young’s offending, including scouting out lockboxes and hiring a van and taking tools with him to try and gain entry to businesses.

“You have to accept (this offending) is brazen and voluminous and has had major effects on people,” he said.

“Local businesses are doing it really tough and these offences have set them back even further.”

Mr Huynh said sentencing Young would be an “incredibly complex” task.

He will be sentenced later this month.