Ice-addicted car thief pleads with magistrate to let him out before his child is born
A former panel beater relapsed into drug use because his wife left him for his sister’s husband. In jail again for stealing cars, the Bentleigh East ice user has begged to be let out of prison before July to see his new partner give birth.
Inner South
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An ice-addicted car thief not long out of jail has begged a magistrate to let him out of prison to see his baby being born.
But the prolific pilferer was told he was unlikely to be at the July birth as he faced up to another 12 months behind bars.
Andrew Garas pleaded guilty to 17 car thefts, drug possessions, weapons, handling stolen goods and driving-related charges at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The court heard the 30-year-old from Bentleigh East had only been out of prison less than a month when he was caught with a knuckleduster.
In January last year police found the violent weapon in a car at panel beaters in Rowville alongside ID belonging to Garas.
But his main offending happened after he relapsed into heavy drug use late last year.
He was seen by police driving a car in Reservoir on November 8, but by the time officers caught up with the vehicle he had absconded.
Inside was GHB, an extendible baton, and a bottle of alcohol with Garas’ fingerprints on it, and he had been seen on CCTV leaving the driving seat.
On January 26 this year a $25,000 Ford SUV was stolen from an Aspendale Gardens home in an aggravated burglary.
The car was recovered on February 2 in Noble Park North and there were fingerprints belonging to Garas inside the passenger area, but he was nowhere to be found.
He was finally arrested in Bentleigh East on March 25 in a police raid which uncovered bank cards and ID in other peoples’ names, cash and car keys belonging to a stolen Volkswagen.
That car was found in his apartment basement car park bearing stolen plates.
Inside his unit police also found GHB, ice and keys to a stolen Hilux, which was also parked nearby, and was also fixed with stolen plates.
He was arrested and remanded and quarantined in 24-hour lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The court heard he had previously been handed a jail term and a corrections order for drug trafficking and car theft crimes, and was only let out on parole in January last year.
His defence lawyer said the former panel beater had issues with drugs since 2015 and had relapsed after his former wife ran off with his sister’s husband.
She said he had since moved on and had a new partner, with their first child expected to be born on July 7.
She said he would find any jail time hard because of the likely full lockdown of all prison facilities if the pandemic hit.
In lockdown since his arrest 14 days ago, Garas appeared on video link wearing a surgical mask and gloves and talking on a telephone.
He pleaded for a quick resolution to his case so he could see his new child.
“I would like to be released before my baby is born,” Garas said.
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But Magistrate Stephen Lee said he had a bad criminal history – the court heard it was 14 pages long – and he ought not to be too confident he would see the birth.
“You shouldn’t have any hopes in that regard,” Mr Lee said.
“It will be a further term of imprisonment, I’m just not sure how long it will be.”
He said he was considering up to 12 months jail to be followed by a drug treatment corrections order.
Garas will be sentenced later this week.