Damian George: Career crook jailed for another car theft crime
A Somerville junkie who nicks motors has been slotted once more, this time for a dodgy deal with a fellow sedan stealer.
South East
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A druggie car thief who had only been out of jail a year is back behind bars after he was caught in a stolen vehicle yet again.
Damian Matthew George also admitted swapping price stickers on amplifiers at pawn shops so he could buy them cheaper.
And he drove around without a licence and was also nabbed in possession of a bag of ice — all while he was on bail and doing a community corrections order.
The Somerville 42-year-old unemployed labourer pleaded guilty to a raft of driving, drug, theft, dishonesty and bail breach charges at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The court heard on July 7 this year police attended a Hastings house with officers finding a stolen Holden Statesman in the driveway with George’s dog inside.
He admitted knowing the car had been nicked as he had swapped it for another hot vehicle the night before.
George was also caught in a “known drug activity area” in Hastings in June with a bag of ice, and admitted being the unlicensed driver of a vehicle seen at a Bittern reserve in January.
And on two occasions in 2019 he went into Cash Converters in Frankston and replaced expensive price stickers on amplifiers with cheaper tags before purchasing the illegally discounted gear.
Just last year he was jailed for three months for similar car theft and dishonesty crimes.
Defence lawyer Siobhan Stary said George, a grandfather, had a history of substance dependency starting with cannabis at the age of 11 and then ice, which became a daily habit around 10 years ago.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said his continued offending was caused by his “chaotic drug use”.
“I don’t know why you feel compelled to steal people’s cars,” Mr Lethbridge said.
“The consequences of your criminality can be quite catastrophic.
“If you keep committing these offences you will be going to jail for longer and longer periods of time.”
George was sentenced to four months in prison, minus 49 days he has already served.
He was also fined a total of $1050, disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to repay $250 to Cash Converters.
