Melbourne booze bandit Dakoda Hart pleads guilty to $10,000 Croydon Hotel burglary heist
A Melbourne burglar stole $11,000 in coins and ciggies and left a hefty damage bill after doing over multiple eastern suburbs booze spots.
Outer East
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A former BMX champ ripped more than $10,000 in cash and smokes and left a $13,000 damage bill after he knocked over an eastern suburbs pub and bottle-O.
Dakoda Hart, 25, pleaded guilty at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last week to multiple offences including burglary.
Hart and another yet to be identified suspected crony knocked over multiple eastern suburbs booze venues during an early-morning blitz.
The court heard Hart arrived in a white Hyundai and did over the Croydon Hotel just after 5am on February 4 this year.
Hart wore a balaclava, dark gloves and dark clothing and busted his way into the pub with a sledgehammer, the court was told.
The unknown offender smashed open the cash redemption machine but it was empty.
Hart and the other man then smashed their way into the strong room and stole $10,000 in coins.
The burglars used a bin and plastic tub to haul the coins off before making their getaway.
Hart left the Croydon Hotel with a damage bill north of $7000.
CCTV of the burglary was handed to police.
However, in the meantime, Hart and his mate knocked over the BWS Ferntree Gully Club Drive on Burwood Hwy about half an hour later.
Hart enacted his modus operandi and smashed into the venue with his sledgehammer before the crew scavenged through the bottle shop and stole $1200 in cigarettes.
Hart cut his hand and looked at the wound before fleeing but he left blood at the scene.
A witness called police after they spotted a burglar fleeing the scene while hauling a sledgehammer.
Hart left the Ferntree Gully BWS with a $6000 plus damage bill.
Police hunted Hart down and raided the burglar’s Heidelberg Heights home on May 28.
Investigators seized multiple phones, a black Nike shoulder bag, a MacBook, an iPad and a stack of morphine strips.
Hart, who also pleaded guilty to drug possession, was arrested the next day.
The defence submitted Hart wants to get off drugs and become a good family man and father.
Hart, who is mainly unemployed but has done cashie work installing shutters, has a young child to his current partner.
Hart was once a promising BMX rider who showed off his skills to promote a national skate competition which toured Epping several years ago.
Hart will be sentenced at a later date.
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