Lawrence Kajtazi arrested in Epping quarry after stealing ute

A man went on a months-long crime spree, stealing cars across the northern suburbs trying to evade police by running across house roofs and hiding in a quarry. And his lawyer blamed it on a strange obsession.

Victoria Police’s air wing unit had to help find Kajtazi when he ran into the quarry.

A helicopter had to be called in to help find a car thief who ran into an Epping quarry during a late-night police chase.

Lawrence Kajtazi pleaded guilty to five motor vehicle thefts when he fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 8, having been in jail since he was arrested in August.

The court heard the former forklift driver’s winter 2019 crime spree came to an end when police watched him steal a motorbike and number plates on August 14.

Lawrence Kajtazi has been placed on a community corrections order.

Senior Constable Nathan Greenwood said police saw him driving a stolen Holden ute in Bundoora, before he swapped into another ute at his mum’s place in Thomastown, which was stolen from Brunswick the day before.

Officers followed him as he drove to Bundoora, where they saw him steal a motorbike from the street.

At 12.53am police saw him taking number plates off a car parked in a street, before he drove to a Mernda house in the Holden, where they went to arrest him.

The court heard Kajtazi ran out the back of the house and climbed onto the roofs of houses when he saw the officers, and had to be negotiated down.

Police then searched the Holden, finding a radio, passport, bank card, Endone and several sets of number plates, all believed to be stolen.

The court heard a month earlier, on July 14, Kajtazi drove to Mernda railway station in a ute with stolen number plates, where he broke into a white wagon about 5.50am, setting off its alarm before running away.

He returned to pick up the ute in a Holden that had been stolen from South Yarra.

Days earlier, on July 9 he drove to South Morang in a car stolen from Hawthorn, bearing number plates stolen from Thomastown, where he smashed a car window and stole a handbag and purse.

The police chase took place just after midnight on June 19 when a call was made to 000 about the driver of a Ford trying to steal a trailer from Gilson College in Mernda.

Further 000 calls reported the ute driving erratically, before police located the stolen vehicle on Epping Rd.

The court heard the driver, Kajtazi, then ditched the car and ran into a quarry on foot.

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Kajtazi’s lawyer, Stacey Stanley, said the crime spree occurred after he took leave from work and relapsed into using methamphetamine.

She showed the court a report which revealed Kajtazi had cognitive impairment, and was suspected of having OCD, with his interest in cars described as an obsession.

Magistrate Stephen Ballek said his suspected OCD was someway reflected in the serious offending.

Noting Kajtazi’s extensive and relevant criminal history, Mr Ballek sentenced him to the 267 days he had already spent in jail, releasing him on an 18-month community corrections order.

He said the time spent in custody had been more difficult than usual in recent months, and the sentence would have been 18 months’ jail with a 12-month non parole period if not for guilty plea.

Kajtazi was also fined $627.40 and his licence was disqualified for five years.