Lance Battistello: Frankston boarding house man faces court

When police opened the door on a wanted Frankston man catching some shuteye they were alarmed at what they found.

Lance Peter Battistello was found with a sawn-off shotgun, an imitation firearm and a machete in his Frankston Boarding room.

A Frankston man with a taste for fine scotch whisky allegedly kept a sawn-off shotgun and a hunting knife next to his bed, a court has heard.

Police allege that in July Lance Battistello stole more than $700 worth of 10-year-old Scotch whisky from Dan Murphy’s in Seaford — a location he was expressly prohibited from attending.

On Wednesday, the Frankston Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Battistello “made no attempt” to pay and simply walked past the checkout, before jumping into the passenger-side door of a grey car parked outside the Seaford hotel and leaving.

Police allege that that offence took place at 11.40am on July 9, but more was to come when they visited his room in a Frankston boarding house.

Arriving at Mr Battistello’s room on the same evening to arrest him, the court heard that Frankston police found him asleep on his bed — but it was what they allege was next to his bed that attracted their attention.

The court heard that Mr Battistello had a sawn-off shotgun wrapped in a pillow case, a gel-blaster imitation firearm, what was described as a schedule four poison and a “large hunting knife”.

In opposing Mr Battistello’s application for bail, police told Magistrate Vicky Prapas that the 48-year-old was on six counts of bail when he allegedly committed the offences that led to his current incarceration.

One of these offences, police said, occurred in September 2019, when Mr Battistello threatened to cut off the head of a Frankston North shopper, who had intervened when they saw him asking an elderly female for money.

Police said that the victim was so frightened that they ran towards the nearby Ernie Bell Reserve.

Defence lawyer Brett Oswald said that his client had the support of his father, who appeared on the link.

Mr Oswald said that Mr Battistello battled drug and alcohol issues as well as mental health issues.

Ms Prapas adjourned the matter until February 31.