Thief pleads guilty to multiple burglary-related offences

A calamitous burglar ended up in hospital after being restrained by a building site owner during one of many failed robberies.

A BUNGLING burglar ended up in hospital after coming off second best while being ‘citizen-arrested’ by the owner of a building site he was robbing.

And in another amateur effort he left a backpack full of stolen jewellery at a crime scene after being caught by police in a shower.

DEADLY DOZEN FILES THROUGH COURT

MANAGER FLEECED BUSINESS OF CASH

Nick Koutrouvelis pleaded guilty to a multitude of burglary-related offences at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court today (Sept 24).

The court heard the calamity-ridden criminal’s last law-breaking was likely his most inept, and a painful reminder to him that crime doesn’t pay.

On July 28 this year Koutrouvelis broke into a Bentleigh building site.

But unluckily for him the owner lived nearby and happened to be waiting outside his property.

As Koutrouvelis tried to leave with a backpack full of equipment and tools, the owner confronted him.

He tried to punch his way to freedom but the owner kneed him, knocked him down and then subdued him while police were called.

Koutrouvelis spent four days in hospital with a fractured eye socket, busted nose and bruised ribs.

The court heard in a previous Bentleigh East burglary in September last year he was caught by police hiding in a shower.

After being bailed he realised he had left his backpack in the house so went back a few hours later and retrieved it, minus the jewellery he had tried to steal from the homeowner.

In a third burglary, he broke into a Clayton South business in May last year, but was caught by cops because the alarm went off.

He told officers he had stopped there “to urinate”, but when they investigated, no “puddles” were found, just a broken door.

And in another he fell over while trying to flee police after being seen at a construction site in Oakleigh South in August last year.

His defence lawyer said he had longstanding substance abuse issues, including taking ice daily, and needed to steal to fund his habit.

She said the 32-year-old had sought counselling and had now gone back to live with his father for support.

Magistrate Anne Goldsbrough said the “alarming” and “startling” offending was aggravated by his continual failure to appear while on bail.

He was given a two year community corrections order with 250 hours of unpaid work and ordered to get drug counselling.

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