South Yarra burglar Sami Malekin ‘moved in’ to luxury apartment when owner was away

A woman arrived home to her swanky South Yarra apartment to find a burglar had been sleeping in her bed, eating her food and watching TV.

A housebreaker made himself at home in a swanky South Yarra apartment for “at least a couple of nights”, sleeping in a woman’s bed, eating the food from her fridge and watching TV until she arrived back home, a court has heard.

Sami Malekin, 40, faced the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday, after being locked up when he was arrested twice in April.

Malekin pleaded guilty to a string of dishonesty charges including aggravated burglary, and admitted he spent “at least a couple of nights” living it up at his victim’s apartment after he broke in.

Malekin’s defence lawyer, Chris McLennan, said his client “just moved in” to the South Yarra apartment.

Sami Malekin broke into a room at the Lady Bay Resort and Spa in Warrnambool.

Sami Malekin, 40, broke in to a woman's South Yarra apartment while she was away and stayed there, possibly for as long as four days. Picture: Supplied

“She was away for a couple of days; he just moved in ... he moved in illegally,” Mr McLennan said.

According to court documents, Malekin spent his time at the apartment rummaging through the woman’s’ belongings, eating her food, sleeping in her bed and watching TV.

Malekin, appearing in court by video link from jail, said on Monday he found a spare set of keys outside and needed a place to stay.

The court heard the woman was shocked, when she returned home, to find Malekin sitting at her dining room table.

When she asked what he was doing there, Malekin grabbed some of his belongings, including a bag with more than $500 of coins in it, and ran.

Sami Malekin made himself at home in delightful, bustling South Yarra. (File photo)

The woman’s belongings were “strewn everywhere” in the apartment, and Malekin had tried to take her large TV off the wall.

During his stay, Malekin tried to break into the apartment in the building, but ran away when confronted.

Magistrate Mia Stylianou said she would consider sentencing Malekin to further jail time over his offending, which also included a separate theft of a man’s wallet, car keys and car from the Lady Bay Resort in Warrnambool.

Malekin snuck into the man’s room at 4.20am and made off with his Holden Colorado, but was arrested in Williamstown the next day with the man’s credit card in his pocket.

Police want Malekin to serve more time behind bars, but Mr McLennan said his client had a history of drug use and mental illness, and should be released to live with his sister.

Malekin will be assessed by a psychiatrist in coming weeks, before being sentenced in December.