Alleged car thief refused bail in Dandenong court while facing multiple allegations
A Clayton man facing more than 50 allegations of theft, including a swag of hotted-up Holdens, wants bail to be with terminally ill stepdad.
South East
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A Clayton man fighting more than 50 charges including the theft of a $70,000 sports car has asked a court for his freedom to “spend time with his dying father”.
Christopher Fry fronted the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 27 asking the court to release him on bail as he fights a mountain of charges, many of them relating to allegedly stolen souped-up Holdens.
The court heard Mr Fry has had 22 charges added to the more than 30 charges heard in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on Friday as he asked a new magistrate to grant him freedom.
Mr Fry faced allegations that he had used a stolen vehicle diagnostic tool to steal a blue Holden Redline sedan from a CBD car park, with the alleged theft caught on CCTV.
He was later arrested after four other alleged car thefts, and declined to talk to the police.
The court heard Mr Fry was released on bail before allegedly almost immediately breaching the conditions.
Mr Fry’s bail conditions required him to comply with a 9pm to 5am curfew, which police allege he broke on August 21.
The court heard Mr Fry was allegedly seen by police driving a black Fiat with false licence plates in Carrum Downs and failed to stop when directed to.
Police radar allegedly clocked Mr Fry going up to 140km/h in a 100km/h zone, when he allegedly entered the South Gippsland Hwy against a red light, narrowly missing colliding with other drivers.
The court heard following the near miss, Mr Fry was allegedly clocked on the police radar driving at 170km/h.
He then allegedly abandoned the Fiat and ran into the Fountain Gate shopping centre where he was later arrested and found to allegedly possess a small amount of methamphetamines and a black utility knife.
In court on Monday, Magistrate Julie O’Donnell heard Mr Fry suffered from depression, anxiety, bipolar and PTSD and wanted to be released into the community to receive treatment.
The court heard his stepfather was also terminally ill, and being released on bail would enable Mr Fry to “spend time with his dying stepfather”.
Ms O’Donnell said she had to take into account Mr Fry’s alleged offending, particularly the allegations that he breached his bail conditions.
“He has a number of outstanding matters which haven’t been resolved and I just can’t say that he’s in a position where his alleged offending will be mitigated by the bail conditions,” she said.
“Bail is about risk and for that reason I’m refusing bail today.”
Mr Fry will appear again in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on December 1 facing further matters consolidated from both Dandenong and Moorabbin Magistrates’ Courts.
