Damien Young breaks into cars in Heidelberg West, Rosanna
A man stole a bus from Collingwood and broke into 19 vehicles in Heidelberg West and Rosanna on a morning crime spree. He even made a rookie mistake when stealing petrol from a service station.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man stole a bus and broke into 19 vehicles, smashing windows, damaging doors and stealing possessions all within several hours, a court has heard.
But Damien Young’s fast-paced crime spree didn’t go too smoothly, with the seasoned thief putting diesel in the petrol-fuelled bus and leaving his fingerprints on some of the vehicles.
The 35-year-old was also hunted and found by one of the men he stole from, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court heard on Thursday, July 23.
Young stole a Toyota Coaster bus from a Collingwood street then drove to Caltex Northcote, where he stole $125.75 of petrol about 1.32am on June 10.
Senior Constable Lauren Dri said Young put the petrol into the stolen bus, not realising it required diesel.
He then smashed a car window on Perth St, Heidelberg West about 2am, before breaking the window of a car parked on Oriel Rd.
Young then smashed windows of four cars in Ramu Pde, rifling through the cars, before doing the same to four cars in Doherty’s Rd, stealing $800 cash from one, a licence and a silver anklet from another, and a drill and work boots from another.
He broke the windows of a car and a van in Waterdale Rd just after 2.36am, stealing $20 in coins, before getting into a tow truck at a Percy St property and taking a drill, light, clipboard and coins from inside.
A co-worker of the truck’s owner saw Young walking away from the property, before he and the owner checked their CCTV and went searching for Young.
Young then tried to break into a ute on Beatrice Ave and smashed a van’s window.
The tow truck owner found Young inside a ute, which had two smashed windows, and took back the items stolen from him.
Sometime between 4.30am Young smashed the windows of three cars in Rosanna, stealing jackets, a phone and perfume.
Young was arrested in Richmond on June 23.
The court heard he was on a pension for his intellectual disability and was homeless at the time of the crimes.
Magistrate Meagan Keogh said the crimers were “fairly standard offending for him”, looking at his long history of thefts and similar crimes in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.
Young pleaded guilty to the charges after Ms Keogh indicated she would sentence him to 60 days’ jail, with 29 days having already been served.
MORE: HOW NEIGHBOURS HELPED CATCH ’ANNOYING’ YOUNG CRIM
MAN ESCAPES FROM POLICE, CAUGHT BY PASSERS-BY