Car thief caught on stolen motorbike in Carrum with shotgun and drugs
A Bendigo man who moved to the big smoke in the hope of furthering his concreting career had no criminal history. Now, after falling in with a crowd where using ice was “the norm”, he is facing a stint in a concrete cell.
South East
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A Bendigo man who came to the big smoke to progress his concreting career may instead end up in a concrete cell after falling in with “bad company” and going on a crime spree.
Rhys Lindsay Ermel, 27, faced Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court yesterday theft, drugs and weapons charges.
The court heard Ermel jemmied open a locked box next to a Clayton South panel beater before stealing an Audi TT between 6pm on February 17 and 8am the next day.
The Audi was discovered dumped — and covered in Ermel’s fingerprints — in Reservoir on March 1.
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Ermel was spotted by police riding a stolen motorbike in Carrum the next day. He wasn’t happy to be pulled over, resisting arrest before being subdued and handcuffed.
Officers searched his bag, finding an array of pills, cannabis, ice, a sawn-off shotgun, phone “jammer”, 43 rounds of ammunition and stolen bank and ID cards and keys to a stolen Lexus.
Ermel was remanded in custody for 16 days before being released on supervised bail.
In court, Ermel’s defence lawyer said his client, from Kennington near Bendigo, was now back at his country home and had very strong family support.
He said Ermel, who had no priors, fell in with a crowd in Melbourne where the use of ice was “the norm” and the gun possession was due to the “bad company he was keeping” at the time.
The lawyer said Ermel — who pleaded guilty to the charges — had now “righted his life” and done everything expected of him since the offending, which he described as “jumping into with both feet”.
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Magistrate Stephen Lee said it was highly unusual for someone to commit such serious offending with absolutely no history.
Mr Lee said he was not sure if the 16 days Ermel had already served in custody was enough.
He said he might impose a longer term of imprisonment followed by a community corrections order when the case returns.
Ermel will be sentenced on September 19.