Carrum Downs crook Bryce Lovatt called ‘world’s dumbest criminal’
A Carrum Downs roof tiler nabbed stealing gloves from Bunnings has been labelled “possibly the world’s dumbest criminal”.
South East
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A has called a Carrum Downs career crook “possibly the world’s dumbest criminal” after another series of offending fails.
Magistrate Costas Kilias said Bryce Christopher Lovatt — who has been on 11 community corrections or similar orders — was “one of life’s pinballs, just bouncing around”, always ending up in trouble and perhaps he “should consider a career change”.
Mr Kilias said Lovatt was “just very bad at this”, and like David Wenham in the comedy crime caper Gettin’ Square he never got away with anything.
Lovatt, who has a shocking driving, drug, theft, burglary and assault-related offending history, faced Dandenong Magistrates’ Court again on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old Carrum Downs roof tiler pleaded guilty to a plethora of charges including twice driving while drugged up, five times while disqualified, speeding, drug possession and shop theft.
As well as being previously jailed the father of three has been on 11 community corrections or similar orders, several of which he breached, and was on another one during this crime spree.
The court heard Lovatt’s car was pulled over in Dandenong in April 2019 doing 87km/h in a 60km/h zone.
He was disqualified from driving at the time, having been banned for four years in 2018, and police noticed he was watching a movie on his phone in a cradle on the dashboard.
In July 2019 he was caught driving in Narre Warren and in November 2019 he was nabbed doing 97km/h in an 80km/h zone in Burnley, testing positive to ice and saying to officers he did it “because I’m a drug addict”.
In February last year he was found in an unregistered Holden with homemade number plates in a Clayton pub carpark, saying he was there “to try my luck at the pokies”.
In March last year he was pulled over in Doncaster in the same unregistered Commodore, and after giving a positive preliminary drug sample he refused to accompany officers for a full test.
In May he stole a pair of gloves from Bunnings in Carrum Downs by trying to hide them under his jacket and when he was arrested cops found one and a half Viagra pills in his bag.
And in June last year he was nabbed riding a motorbike — although he has never held a bike licence — doing 77km/h in a 60km/h zone in Carrum Downs.
His defence lawyer said Lovatt was “incredibly forthright about his struggles with drugs” but was now abstinent and undertaking medical counselling.
He said his client was “a broken man” who had lost everything over the past few years due to his substance abuse issues.
Mr Kilias told Lovatt he hoped for his sake his future mirrored the ending of Gettin’ Square.
“When I was listening to the (police) summaries it was him (the Wenham character), an aimless pinball,” Mr Kilias said.
“But this is not a movie for you, this is your life.”
He deferred sentence saying he “wanted to see the proof in the pudding” regarding his now-claimed drug abstinence.
Lovatt was bailed on condition he doesn’t drive, has clean drug screens, obeys a night curfew and attends his GP, and will appear in court again in June.
