Chemist Warehouse Heidelberg allegedly robbed by Gabriel Staikuras
A man was with his partner and her son when he allegedly stole from Chemist Warehouse. And his lawyer said drug addiction and homelessness had played a part in the alleged offending.
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A man who was with his partner and her son when he allegedly stole from Chemist Warehouse has been refused bail.
Gabriel Staikuras and his girlfriend allegedly stole from the Heidelberg store, with Staikuras getting away with $300 worth of merchandise, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court has heard.
Senior Constable Michael McLachlan told the court CCTV footage allegedly showed Staikuras entering a storeroom marked ‘staff only’ through an open door while the store was open on October 10.
Staikuras allegedly got away with four perfumes, a pair of men’s sunglasses, and a gift set, and was charged with trespassing, burglary, and committing the offence while on bail.
When he was arrested over the matter at Comfort Inn Greensborough on May 12, he was allegedly found with cannabis and stolen goods.
At the time Staikuras was serving two community corrections orders imposed since the burglary for other offences.
The court heard he had allegedly breached the orders by not completing treatment on top of allegedly reoffending.
Senior Constable McLachlan said police considered him an unacceptable risk of offending and of failing to answer bail, with 29 warrants having previously been issued for his arrest and Staikuras having failed to answer bail four times.
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Staikuras’ lawyer Alex Mclure said her client’s alleged offending was motivated by his drug addiction, and he had faced homelessness throughout the past year.
Having spent 43 days behind bars since his arrest, she argued Staikuras should be bailed to live with his partner in Kensington under the supervision of the Court Integrated Services Program.
Ms Mclure said Staikuras was contesting the burglary charge, and delays imposed by the coronavirus outbreak meant he could be waiting a long time for it to be resolved.
But Magistrate Denise Livingstone refused to release him, citing his relevant prior convictions and his contravention of corrections orders.