Betim Sinani pleads guilty after machete threat to Doveton neighbours
A Doveton man admitted he smashed his neighbours’ cameras while they were out because they were “pointing at his house”.
South East
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A Doveton man told police he could have “handled things differently” when he went to his neighbours’ house with a machete, threatened them and damaged a car.
Betim Sinani, 31, pleaded guilty at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court to charges of intentionally damaging property, unlawful assault, theft, intentionally causing injury, robbery and other charges.
Sinani’s Doveton neighbours got home in May and noticed a pole from the gas meter was missing and their security cameras were lying on the ground.
The husband and wife logged onto their camera app which showed Sinani earlier in the day walking to their house with a pole.
They went to report it at the Endeavour Hills police station when Sinani came running over, verbally abusing them, as they pulled into the driveway before the couple ran inside.
When they were putting the cameras back up with a friend, Sinani came over and pushed one of them off the ladder and shouted: “I just want my cameras back”.
He took car keys for a vehicle parked out the front and asked if they wanted them back, to which the victim said yes.
Sinani then said: “Let’s go out the front and fight for them”.
The victims went into the backyard behind a fence and watched the neighbour leave.
About a minute later Sinani returned with a 60cm machete.
He went over to the car and asked if the victim liked the car, to which the victim told him to leave it alone and that he needed to get his kids home.
Sinani paced up and down beside the vehicle then broke the reverse camera off before walking home.
During a police interview Sinani admitted he took the machete to the couple’s house, but didn’t “hurt anyone” and only wanted the cameras back — which he gave to them as a gift.
He also admitted to smashing the cameras because they were “pointing at his house” and agreed he intimidated the victims and said they “hid like girls”.
“I should have handled the situation differently,” Sinani said.
A few weeks later Sinani approached another person who was walking to a bus stop on the Princes Highway.
He scuffled with the man and punched him before he took off with his backpack.
After driving a short distance, Sinani threw the victim’s backpack out of the window.
In July Sinani accused his partner, and mother of his children, of cheating.
She denied the allegations and told him he was delusional because of the drug he had been taking.
Sinani began hitting her on her arms and headbutted her to her head before he got a crowbar and smashed the mirrored wardrobe in the bedroom.
Their two kids were in another room in the house.
The father-of-two then grabbed the kids and left the house on foot.
Sinani’s lawyer submitted he struggles with a “considerable” drug addiction and strong feelings of paranoia.
He also submitted Sinani was a good student growing up, but he was introduced to a life of crime early on through his dad and uncles.
Sinani had served 160 days of pre-sentence detention by the time of the hearing and he will reappear in court on December 2.
Magistrate Dr Michael King indicated he would be spending more time behind bars for the “serious” offending but is prepared to consider a combination sentence.
“The offending is serious, you’ll most likely be spending some more time in prison,” he said.
Dr King advised Sinani to co-operate with corrections and to listen to his counsel in the meantime.