Watsonia: Man allegedly steals car from Medbury Avenue
A Greensborough man had only been out of jail for two weeks when he allegedly returned to stealing from his neighbours. Fed-up police say he continues to offend close to home each time he’s released from jail or granted bail.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Greensborough man known for his tendency to steal close to home had only been out of jail for two weeks when he allegedly returned to robbing his neighbours.
The man, who can’t be named for legal reasons, allegedly targeted a Watsonia street on his latest crime spree, stealing a car and ransacking three other vehicles before fraudulently using a credit card he stole from one.
Police argued there was an unacceptable risk the unemployed 37-year-old would commit crimes if he wasn’t held in custody when they took him before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 3.
The court heard the man had been charged more than 500 times, and convicted of crimes including thefts of motor vehicles, thefts from motor vehicles, handling stolen goods and thefts by deception.
Senior Constable Duncan Craig said the man was a “known prolific thief”, who had continued to commit the same kind of offences close to his home each time he’d been released from jail or granted bail in recent years.
The man allegedly returned to offending on July 28 after being released from jail on July 14 following an eight-month sentence.
The court heard he rummaged through two cars parked in driveways on Medbury Ave, Watsonia about 6.30pm, stealing a $2 surgical mask from one.
He was allegedly then caught on CCTV stealing an unlocked red Subaru from a third driveway on the street.
When police later found the car, they discovered a key had been forced into its ignition.
The man allegedly tried to get into a ute about 8pm, before the owner chased him away and called police.
The man allegedly stole a wallet from a car parked in a property about 10pm, which contained an ID, credit card and $30.
The court heard he then used the card at McDonalds Greensborough, Coles Express Macleod and 7-Eleven Yallambie, spending almost $140.
A search of his Greensborough home on July 31 uncovered various stolen cards.
The man’s lawyer argued his client had significant medical problems, including epilepsy, a brain injury, false teeth and a physical impairment, which made custody more onerous for him.
He said the man was also medicated for asthma and breathing difficulties, which put him at greater risk during the COVID-19 outbreak,
The lawyer said the man had a stable address with his sister in Greensborough and his matters would take some time to resolve.
Magistrate Helen Murphy noted the man had “such a long criminal history”, totalling 63 pages.
She said his medical issues had been managed more in custody than out of custody in recent years, refusing him bail.
Ms Murphy said no bail conditions could take the risk of him offending to an acceptable level.
MORE: MAN BREAKS LOCKDOWN LAWS, GIVES POLICE BROTHER’S NAME
MUM ALLEGEDLY USES EFTPOS MACHINES TO RIP OFF BUSINESSES