Frankston Magistrates’ Court: Raphael Melkonian, former court employee finds himself on other side
A Seaford man who once did work placement at a court later found himself in the dock at the same court for a string of burglaries.
South East
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A man who completed work placement at a suburban magistrates’ court has found out how the legal system works as an offender.
Raphael Melkonian, 54, of Seaford, appeared in the Frankston Magistrates’ Court — the same court where he did his work placement — on Monday where he pleaded guilty to charges including burglary and unlicensed driving.
In September 2022, Melkonian, whose licence expired two months earlier, went to the Seaford railway station where he took rego plates off of a white van before attaching one to his own van and driving away.
A few days later Melkonian climbed a fence in Kew and broke into a garden shed, where he stole Ryobi pressure washers valued at $800 from the shed.
On October 4, Melkonian had his eyes on garden tools again, breaking into another shed and taking another pressure washer, along with a radio and a whipper snipper.
When police asked him about the items he said he had sold them to a second-hand dealer.
The court heard Melkonian had been in trouble with the law several years ago before he studied a diploma of community service and carried out placement at the Frankston Magistrates Court.
The court also heard Melkonian had gone on to study and specialise in family violence support work.
Melkonian ‘s defence told the court he had a huge gap in his offending and had done a good job of rehabilitating himself however the death of his father had triggered this latest spate of offending.
He also said the offending was motivated by needing money to buy drugs.
Magistrate Ayres said he accepted Melkonian had a “lifelong addiction”.
“You know the system quite well. You have been on both sides of the equation,” he said.
Melkonian was convicted and fined $300 for his unlicensed driving and placed on a therapeutic community corrections order for his other offending.
He was also ordered to pay for the damages he caused at the properties he burgled.
