David Edwards: Mill Park crook robs neighbours with ladder

Think your neighbours are bad? A crook wearing a ‘Never give up’ shirt used a ladder to help himself to the house next door.

Edwards used a ladder to climb into his neighbours’ property and rob them.

A crook struck a little too close to home when he decided to rob his nextdoor neighbours, using a ladder to get into their house and steal $10,000 worth of their possessions.

David Edwards, 28, was sentenced to a minimum of nine months’ jail before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, having pleaded guilty to charges including theft of a motor vehicle.

Edwards was caught on CCTV wearing a shirt with the slogan ‘Never give up’ right before he burgled a Mill Park home on New Year’s Eve.

The court heard the victim’s CCTV system captured him ringing the house’s doorbell to check no one was home moments before the burglary.

Edwards then went back into his house and used a ladder to climb the back fence between the properties.

The crook forced his way into the neighbours’ house and stole about $10,000 worth of valuables, including laptops, an iPad, jewellery, clothes and perfume.

The court heard the neighbours were left “extremely shaken” after they came home to find their house damaged and possessions gone.

The burglary was just one of a series of crimes during a crime spree during a three and half month crime spree, which began shortly after Edwards finished a nine-month jail sentence.

The long term drug user’s other crimes included stealing a ute in November before he nearly ran a man over as he fled an Epping petrol station about 12pm on December 4 after stealing petrol.

Edwards sped out of the petrol station, hitting a Keep Left traffic sign, then ran a red light at the intersection of Wood and High streets, forcing other drivers to brake to avoid a crash.

His licence was disqualified at the time.

The court heard Edwards had ADHD, had been a drug user for more than 20 years and was previously in a car fire which burnt 60 percent of his body,

Magistrate Stephen Ballek said he was taking into account that Edwards had been in custody during the onerous conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edwards was sentenced to a maximum of one year and three months’ jail, having already served 125 days.