Scooter-stealing baby-faced bandit mugged women on southeast streets
A 20-year-old who loaded up on drugs stole a scooter and used it to attack Frankston and Seaford women, riding up behind them to snatch their bags.
South East
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A scooter-riding mugger who targeted women to rob them of their handbags has pleaded guilty to more than 40 charges.
Baby-faced bandit Tyrone Abela would ride up behind females on the footpath, rip their bag from their shoulders and race off.
The Skye 20-year-old pleaded guilty to a raft of theft, dangerous and unlicensed driving, burglary, drug and bail breach charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
His worst crimes were committed on June 23 this year when he turned into a one-man drug-fuelled scooter-riding crime wave.
At around 2.30am he spat in the face of a mate’s mum in Seaford for no obvious reason.
At 8.44am he tried to steal a handbag from a woman on Wells St, Seaford, but got no joy.
Ten minutes later he rode up to a female on the footpath near the Karingal Hub shopping centre in Frankston and snatched her bag containing a phone, cash, cards and keys.
A few hours later he led police on a chase through Carrum Downs on the same scooter, which had been nicked from Toorak, flipping them the bird as he raced off.
Then at 6pm he went back to the Karingal hub, this time grabbing a bag of groceries from a female shopper.
At 7.25pm he tried to steal a handbag from a woman at a bus stop in Frankston, but she managed to hold him off.
Twenty minutes later he grabbed another woman’s bag, this time in Young St, stealing her cash, phone and personal items.
In September he led police on a dangerous chase through Lyrebird Drive, Carrum Downs, in a car he had bought that morning.
Racing at 120km/h through 50km/h side streets, he narrowly missed roadworkers going about their job before he bailed from the car and was arrested.
His defence lawyer said Abela had an intellectual disability and ADHD, and struggled with impulse control, especially when affected by drugs.
He said the offending was mainly done under the “self-induced intoxication” of ice and now he had spent time behind bars he was “shocked” at his own behaviour.
Abela has served a total of 127 days on remand.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said he was determining how much longer he needed to be jailed for.
“The number of times he simply went out and committed crimes; even after he was bailed he commits offences the next day,” Mr Lethbridge said.
“This offending is ongoing, egregious and done in breach of court orders.
“It is persistent; he is really exhausting the patience of the court.”
Abela was sent for a community corrections order assessment and remanded in custody until December 14.
