Dakoda Hart: Epping mechanic in jail after snubbing Corrections

An Epping man with a taste for designer fashion has found himself in hot water after saying efforts to keep him out of jail were “pointless”.

Dakoda Hart pleaded guilty to a number of crimes before the court.

A young Epping crook who insisted community corrections orders were “pointless”, breaching five separate orders, has found himself stuck behind bars.

Dakoda Hart, 21, has fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court, pleading guilty to charges including possessing drugs, criminal damage and driving while suspended.

The former diesel mechanic appeared before the court on Tuesday by video link from prison, having been locked up since March 19 and refused bail.

The court heard Hart had committed a number of crimes since he was released from a jail sentence in June 2020 and was onto his fifth community corrections order.

Police found him in a Thomastown factory on January 25 with a Louis Vuitton satchel over his shoulder containing 6g of meth.

In his car the Epping man had 210ml of GHB and car keys and items, which he had stolen from vehicles in the area in the days earlier.

The court heard he’d also stolen bank documents from Epping business Superstar Tyre and Auto’s mail, had been seen by police stealing number plates and driving while suspended, and had caused $1000 damage to a door at Quest Epping hotel.

Hart also breached his nightly bail curfew four times in a week in January.

Hart’s lawyer told the court his client had fallen into drug use around age 17 and had at one point managed to break the addiction at rehab, but had then relapsed due to his negative peers.

The court heard Hart had breached his fifth corrections not only with his new crimes, but also by not attending appointments and completing requirements.

It was heard that for one appointment he appeared by video from a car with a group of friends, telling the Corrections worker orders were “pointless”.

A Corrections officer told the court it was making a “quite generous” offer for Hart to have one more chance on the order — which would reduce any potential jail time he could be handed — because of his young age.

But Magistrate Stephen Ballek refused to sentence Hart after hearing he was being held in custody for allegedly committing a burglary, which he had been refused bail for.

Mr Ballek deferred sentence until the charges over the alleged burglary had been resolved.