Jake Low: Alleged thief remanded over $300k burglary crime spree
An accused thief alleged to have committed 24 shop burglaries across Melbourne will be staying behind bars for a while longer.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Berwick man accused of a $213,000 burglary spree targeting computer and electronic stores, milk bars, tool shops, servos, pubs and clubs, has been remanded in custody.
Jake William Low is also alleged to have caused a further $93,000 in damage by busting windows, breaking shutters and ripping off security bars of premises across Melbourne.
He has been charged with more than 60 burglary, theft, criminal damage and bail breach crimes over 24 late night incidents.
Mr Low, who is contesting the charges, appeared at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday with the police prosecution saying the case needed to be “uplifted” to the County Court.
They believe the maximum penalty if he was found guilty would exceed the five year jail maximum available in the magistrate’s court, and there was a lot of complex technical evidence that would be produced that would take a lot of time to be heard.
Mr Low’s defence lawyer said much of that evidence had yet to be forensically analysed and if the case was uplifted to the County Court for a trial there would be a delay of “at least three years”.
Eastern Region Crime Squad detective Senior-Constable Mark Taylor previously told the court between December 6 last year and February 19 this year Mr Low and accomplices embarked on an extensive and expensive commercial burglary spree.
Suburbs hit include Seaford, Rowville, Mt Waverley, Mitcham, Clayton, Oakleigh South, Melton, Narre Warren, Dandenong South, Emerald and Campbellfield.
Regional locations including Warragul, Neerim South, Beaconsfield Upper, Tooradin and Launching Place were also the sites of alleged burglaries.
A surveillance operation was set up to follow the suspected burglars, with officers allegedly catching Mr Low trying to break in to a shop in Campbellfield on February 19.
After he was arrested officers allegedly found drugs, gloves, a picket driver, jemmy bar, angle grinder, hammer and sledgehammer and a “shopping list” of stolen items.
Magistrate Greg Connellan said he needed more information about the details of the police case, specifically about phone tower expert evidence, and he wasn’t convinced the five-year maximum sentence would be exceeded.
Mr Low was remanded in custody and will face court again on July 27.
