Home invasions, car break-ins and opportunistic thieves – these are the people in Mildura you need to watch out for
Two terrifying cousins, a repeat offender who escaped police custody and a car thief – these are some of Mildura’s biggest crooks.
Mildura
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From petty thieves to terrifying home invasions, these are some of Mildura’s worst crooks to pass through the doors of the local court:
Kevin and William Mitchell
Two Mildura cousins have been put behind bars over terrifying home invasions that traumatised victims who were home at the time of the break in.
Kevin Mitchell pleaded guilty in Mildura Magistrates’ Court on October 25 to one charge of aggravated burglary and three charges of attempted aggravated burglary.
Mitchell and his cousin William (already sentenced and behind bars) were seen in CCTV footage on August 1 wearing distinctive clothing, just hours before attempting to break into four separate homes.
After three failed attempts where the Mitchells’ were disturbed by their victims, they broke into a home, kicking through the front door, into a house with three sleeping victims inside.
The two men went from room to room, before reaching the back of the house where the three victims were hiding.
Kevin attempted to open the door but was stopped by one of the victims on the other side of the door.
Realising they weren’t alone, the Mitchells’ fled the property, taking various items with them.
After being taken into custody Kevin made full admissions to the break ins.
One of the victims told the court they had “lost sleep due to the fear of someone being in the house”.
Kevin was sentenced to three months behind bars, and William was sentenced to spend 12 months in prison.
Joseph Theofelis
A man who begged his victim to let him stay in their home later stole and smashed their car.
Joseph Theofelis pleaded guilty in the Mildura Magistrates’ Court on November 1 to charges of wilful damage, stealing a motor vehicle, and driving while disqualified
The court heard Theofelis was kicked out of his father’s house in Mildura on October 7, when he contacted the victim, begging them to let him stay in their home.
Theofelis then stole the victim’s car on October 8, after an argument where he snatched the keys from their hand.
He disappeared with the vehicle for two days, returning it with significant damage to the front panel of the passenger side.
He then attempted to get inside the victim’s house using a bike handle, causing significant damage to the front door.
Theofelis was sentenced to 30 days behind bars and his license cancelled for a further six months, on top of the 14 month disqualification he’d received for previous offending.
William Battye
A man who stole a swimmer’s wallet, clothes and phone from a change room told Mildura court he was trying to leave his criminal past behind.
William Battye, 31, pleaded guilty on October 16 to theft charges after stealing a man’s bag and belongings from a Bendigo pool in 2022.
Battye stole the items from Peter Krenz Leisure Centre in Bendigo before being seen on CCTV at a local servo buying a pack of cigarettes for $68.50 and a Jack Daniels and cola 10 pack for $46.99 using the victim’s card to pay.
The court heard Battye then used the victim’s card and cash to catch a taxi from the servo to his uncle’s home, where he paid and also withdrew $40 from the victim’s account.
Battye’s lawyer Hugh Middleton told the court his client had moved to Mildura to escape his criminal past.
“He’s been living with his extended family for seven months in an effort to get away,” Mr Middleton told the court.
Battye was ordered to pay $500 in restitution to his victim and received a further $1000 fine with conviction.
Wayne Taylor
A recidivist robber fronted Mildura court after stealing a wine bottle, a woman’s handbag and being caught riding a bike without a helmet.
Wayne Taylor, 25, pleaded guilty in Mildura Magistrates’ Court on October 19 to charges of theft, entering a private place without consent, riding a bike without a helmet and committing indictable offences while on bail.
On August 27, Taylor was questioned by police and was found to be carrying half a gram of meth and a modified cheese knife.
On September 5, he was seen with another man entering a Mildura property at 4.20am.
The pair broke into the closed carport before stealing a bottle of wine.
Taylor was back at it again on September 9, when he stole a woman’s handbag from the front seat of her car outside Mildura’s Grand Hotel.
Taylor used the victim’s card to purchase Dominos and cigarettes and food from a local servo, where he was seen on CCTV.
Cops caught up with Taylor on October 18, when they saw him riding a bike without a helmet.
He was carrying a fake license with another person’s name on it and an orange fishing knife.
Taylor was convicted and ordered to pay $900.
Ignatius Alvanos
A man caught with a treasure trove of stolen goods has told a court he had no idea the items were stolen.
Ignatius Alvanos pleaded guilty in Mildura Magistrates’ Court on October 24 to negligently dealing with proceeds of crime after being caught with electronics stolen out of a car in September.
The court heard the Hyundai i30 had been parked outside a Mildura home and was broken into on September 7.
The items taken included a backpack, a MacBook laptop, an iPad, airpods and a stylus pen.
Police tracked the items to Alvanos’ property, where they found the stolen items alongside multiple packets of .22 ammunition, a retractable credit card knife and a homemade taser.
Alvanos was arrested and later told police his friend had brought the stolen items to his home.
He was convicted and fined $700 as well as $136.70 in costs.
Nathon Greenfield
A man who racked up a series of offending began after stealing another man’s bike from a laundromat.
Nathon Greenfield, 29, pleaded guilty in Mildura Magistrates’ Court on October 24 to one charge of theft, one charge of being drunk and disorderly in public and one charge of possessing a prohibited weapon.
Greenfield attended a Mildura laundromat on May 31, where he stole another man’s bicycle parked outside, leaving his own laundry bag behind.
Police later attended, finding an antique bone knife inside his bag.
On August 4, Greenfield was arrested after turning up to a mate’s house drunk and refusing to leave.
The friends got into an altercation before the friend called the cops.
When police arrived, Greenfield resisted arrest, and was eventually pepper sprayed before being put inside the police divvy van.
Greenfield was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of $636.70.
Lynkon Thorpe
A Mildura man who stole a woman’s wallet at the pokies was later found riding around down on a stolen bike.
Lynkon Thorpe, 21, pleaded guilty in the Mildura Magistrates’ Court on September 26 to two charges of theft and to breaching a community corrections order.
In December 2022, Thorpe’s victim was trying her luck at the pokies in a Mildura hotel.
The 60-year-old woman unknowingly dropped her wallet and a $50 note on the floor when she was switching between machines.
Another patron found the wallet and cash, picked them up and placed them on a surface next to a machine, before Thorpe nicked the items, all in view of a CCTV camera.
Thorpe was later arrested in March 2023, when police busted him walking down a Mildura street with a bike.
The bicycle was found to be stolen – officers identified it through a QR code on its frame.
Thorpe gave a no comment interview to police but later pleaded guilty to both thefts and to breaching a corrections order regarding a County Court incident set to be heard next year.
Thorpe was fined a total of $500 over both thefts and was ordered to pay $100 in restitution for the wallet.
Magistrate Michael Coghlan extended Thorpe’s community corrections order to 18 months.
Thorpe will return to the County Court next year on other matters.
Ryley Chisholm
A serial thief who stole everything from petrol to shoes had his one man crime wave put to an end when police finally caught up to him.
Ryley Chisholm, 22, pleaded guilty in Mildura Magistrates’ Court on October 16 to two theft charges, criminal damage, driving with false license plates, for evading police on multiple occasions, for damaging an unmarked cop car and for committing indictable offences while on bail.
The Mildura dad was seen by Kmart staff stealing a pair of slides on September 11, wearing the shoes as he left the store.
Staff saw him get into a black Holden Commodore and recorded the registration plates for police.
Chisholm continued his stealing spree when he filled up his car with $99.21 in petrol before driving away without attempting to pay.
He was later identified through CCTV footage at the servo.
Police saw Chisholm driving a few days later without registration plates and with a broken tail light.
When he was directed to pull over, Chisholm reversed and ended up in a ditch, before accelerating and hitting the cop car, significantly damaging the passenger side panel.
Police finally caught up with Chisholm on October 13, when they detected him driving his Holden with stolen plates.
Officers trapped him in a court, using a tyre deflation device to stop his escaping once again.
Chisholm mounted the kerb, attempting to evade arrest, but failed and was taken into custody.
Chisholm was released from custody onto a 12 month community corrections order, where he will complete 100 hours of community work.
His license was disqualified for eight months.
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