South east wrap: missing people to drug dealers – all big stories from Melbourne’s south east
From an Into The Wild inspired disappearance to a woman who went missing multiple times in a week, these events shocked the south east.
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Melbourne is no stranger to crime and mystery — and 2022 was no different.
Focusing on people and events from the city’s south east, we ended up on a wild wide as far as Swan Hill and Geelong.
We have compiled a wrap of the major crimes and investigations that captivated communities throughout the year.
Sam Thompson
A Lysterfield teenager sent the state into a frenzied search after he went missing from his family home in February after reading the book Into the Wild.
The non-fiction by Jon Krakauer followed the life of Christopher McCandless, a young man who hitchhiked into the US wilderness in 1992, and later died of starvation.
Leaving behind the book and a note, Sam’s disappearance sparked a statewide search involving police and SES.
Sam’s distraught parents released a public appeal with the police. Not long later Sam was spotted in the Swan Hill, and had contact with kind strangers Rick and Sally Op’t Hoog, who picked up the hitchhiking would-be adventurer.
“Same asking if he (Rick) could take him to the nearest town, and Rick offered to show him the town,” Ms Op’t Hoog said.
“He just said he was going camping. Rick drove him around Swan Hill and showed him some sights.’’
Rick then asked Sam if he wanted to return to his place for a coffee, to which Sam agreed.
“It appeared like he just is looking to have an adventure. But he didn’t have a plan. He just said he was going to follow the river. So we sat down and told him about all the little towns between Swan Hill and Mildura. We told him about Wood Wood, Boundary Bend, Robinvale and Euston, we told him about all of those places along the way’’ Ms Op’t Hoog said.
In the morning, Rick dropped Sam in Nyah, a small town about 20km northwest of Swan Hill.
With emergency services and his parents desperate to find him, Sam seemingly disappeared into the bush once more.
For more than a week, his family prayed for a happy ending, and in the late afternoon of February 18, their prayers were answered.
Sam was found safe and well in what was called a “miracle on the Murray”.
Sam’s mother, Elizabeth Thomson, said: “We are extremely relieved and extremely pleased to have spoken with him this afternoon.”
“I’m going to restrict it to this: Sam is safe and well, and he sounded good on the phone, and we had an arrangement where he’ll give us a call every week so that we know he’s safe and well regularly going forward.”
Cara Morrissey
Cara Morrissey ignited a desperate search after disappearing from a popular Dandenong North park on a walk with her dog on Tuesday May 31.
Her concerned mother Rhonda was at the search site with a number of Cara’s close friends, as SES and police investigators combed Tirhatuan Park, searching for the lost woman and her dog Holly.
Cara was spotted in CCTV footage at Kensington railway station the following day and later admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
All seemed well at this point, Cara was safe and warm and had the medical attention she needed after spending a night out in the freezing winter weather.
However, hours later, she was discharged from hospital and disappeared into the night once more.
Days later, a truck driver on the outskirts of Geelong, picked up Cara in the early hours of the morning.
Ms Morrissey went to Facebook to announce Cara’a return, and to thank search parties that had spent tireless hours searching for her daughter.
“Last night Cara was located in Corio,” Ms Morrissey said.
“She spent seven days in the open, with minimal water, food and shelter,” the post read.
“We expect it will take some time for Cara to be sufficiently well enough to make any kind of statement.”
Ms Morrissey said Cara was founds with deep cuts, blisters and bruises, all unwelcome souvenirs from her time spent missing.
Ms Morrissey also said Cara was suffering from symptoms of hypothermia and mental strain.
“Cara is confused and exhausted,” she said.
“We would like to especially thank you all, for helping Cara, for being kind, and being caring and noticing other people in their hour of need,” she said.
Nikola Coffey
A woman who was nabbed speeding in a hotted-up turbo while heavily pregnant in 2021 was represented by her husband in court in November.
Nikola Coffey, 38, pleaded guilty to eight offences, and did not attend Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court, as her husband Andrew took to plead her case to Magistrate David Starvaggi.
The court heard Ms Coffey had purchased a car with a turbo shortly before driving it unlicensed and unregistered, all while speeding.
Mr Coffey said his wife’s decision making had been affected at the time of offending.
“She was heavily pregnant at the time, and she purchased the car without me knowing Your Honour,” he said.
“She has since refrained from driving that car, and we have registered the car and updated her licence details with VicRoads.”
Magistrate Starvaggi fined Ms Coffey $500 with no conviction.
Yen Chan
A Springvale dad had an unusual excuse for meth possession, claiming it cured his hayfever.
Yen Chan pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamines, following a police raid at his family home, uncovering a pile of meth found on the kitchen bench.
Investigating officers carried out a search warrant at Chan’s Springvale home in May, finding various items identified as “drug paraphernalia”, including a blue box on the kitchen bench, which contained a small amount of methamphetamines.
Chan’s wife was home with their children at the time of the raid, and police requested he return to the property.
His wife attempted to locate Chan to no avail, and he was later arrested on June 15.
In a police interview, Chan revealed a peculiar justification for his possession and use of methamphetamines.
“I use meth to treat my hayfever,” he told officers.
When asked where he was at the time of the raid, Chan said had been “at the pokies”.
Chan told officers that he purchased the little bag at the Waltzing Matilda Hotel in Springvale.
“I get it from the pokies at Waltzing Matilda,” he said.
“When I see him (the dealer), I pay $200.”
Chan claimed that he had smoked a small amount of the methamphetamines two weeks prior, to ease his hayfever.
Facing a single charge of possession a drug of dependence, Chan pleaded guilty.
Magistrate Steven Raleigh confiscated the drugs to be destroyed, and left Chan with a $500 fine and a conviction.
Elisha Clarke
A Murrumbeena mother-of-two pleaded guilty to drug possession, after a police search uncovered a cannabis plant in the wardrobe of her family home.
Police were called to the home of 29-year-old Elisha Clarke on February 26, to follow up a separate incident.
After a conversation with Clarke, officers conducted a search of the home.
During the search, police found a marijuana plant in a wardrobe in her bedroom.
One cannabis plant was discovered alongside a hydroponic set up.
She was arrested and taken to Bayside police station.
The police prosecutor said Clarke’s offending was “escalating”, as she had previously been charged with possessing a drug of dependence.
Clarke’s lawyer said she had been “trying to improve”.
“Ms Clarke has made an effort to improve, and has registered with a job provider. She is seeking treatment for diagnosed PTSD, anxiety and depression,” her lawyer said.
Clarke was ordered to abide by a good behaviour bond.
Karnaljeet Kaur Brar
An aged care nurse from Clyde North pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of persons at the workplace.
Karnaljeet Kaur Brar attended work at an aged care facility in Highett when she knowingly had Covid at the height of the pandemic spread in 2020.
While she escaped conviction, she did not escape a whopping fine, after exposing some of the most vulnerable members of the community to the deadly virus.
The court heard Brar attended her GP, who advised her to get tested from Covid and to stop attending work until she had received a negative result.
Despite this advice, Brar attended her shift that evening, undertaking the mandatory temperature testing and declaration which included her claiming she was not suffering from any symptoms at the time.
Brar obtained a swab test at a later date, where she then tested positive.
Following her diagnosis, Brar then declared she had not been to work within the five days prior.
Prosecuting for the WorkCover Authority, Duncan Chisholm told the court this was a “clear disregard to community safety.”
“Ultimately, this is a very serious matter, where Ms Brar was a qualified and registered nurse, working in an aged care facility with vulnerable members of the community,” he said.
“It was her duty to care for the residents. She attended work and falsely claimed she didn’t have symptoms on three occasions.”
Mr Chisholm was seeking a significant fine and conviction as Brar “ought to have known” the risks as a healthcare professional.
“To state the obvious, we all knew at that point what Covid was – we knew the risks of transmission, and the role of lockdowns and control mechanisms available, referring to isolation.”
“She was aware of her symptoms and attended her GP. She should have known what a Covid symptom was, and if she didn’t her GP provided her with advice to not return to work.”
Brar studied nursing and graduated from University of Tasmania in 2019, before moving to Melbourne to begin working in aged-care.
The court heard Brar had been receiving threatening messages from a former partner at the time of her offending, clouding her judgment.
Brar’s defence asked the court to consider a non-conviction, as while Brar was an Australian citizen, her new husband was not, and therefore would be ineligible to apply for a partner visa to remain in the country.
Magistrate David Starvaggi said Brar’s actions required “complete denunciation of her actions”.
“As we all know, tragically, many people passed away as a result of Covid outbreaks in other aged-care places. Fortunately that didn’t occur in this instance,” he said.
“This is a demonstrable example of a flagrant and persistent degree of disregard was deceitful, and was intended for Ms Brar to continue attending work.”
Magistrate Starvaggi said he found it “astounding” that the only sentencing option available to the court of Brar’s offending was monetary.
“Ms Brar has pleaded guilty at the very first opportunity, and I am taking into account the character reference from her sister,” he said.
“I am taking that as a demonstration of her contrition. But a loud and strong message must be sent to people in positions of trust, such as health care workers and anyone else in charge of caring for vulnerable members of the community.”
Magistrate Starvaggi fined Brar $25,000 without conviction, and said he was giving her “the benefit of the doubt, given that there are no prior convictions.”
Brar’s nursing registration will be considered at VCAT later in the year.
James Smith
A man fronted Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court after cutting and running from a mobile phone repairs business, rather than paying the $349 fee.
James Smith told the court in November that his life had “drastically changed”, since fleeing the bill in March.
“I’ve been in and out of prison, my life has drastically changed since then,” he said.
After taking his phone into the local business, Smith was quoted by $349 to repair its smashed screen.
He returned the following day on March 30, to pick up his phone but failed to pay.
Smith told the witness he did not have enough cash to pay for the repairs and would need to use his phone to transfer some money.
Once he had his phone, Smith made a phone call, lasting about five minutes, before another customer entered the store.
While the customer was talking to the shop attendant, Smith walked out of the business and ran across the street.
Police only caught up with him two months later, when he was arrested at his home for a separate matter.
Smith was ordered to pay $349 compensation to the business and he was slapped with a further $200 fine and a conviction.
David Birnie
A one man crime spree started with a trashed motel room and ended with a damaged taxi in Parkdale.
David Birnie, 64, appeared in Moorabbin Magistrates Court in August, facing a stack of charges, including intentionally damaging property, drug possession, criminal damage and possessing a controlled weapon.
Birnie pleaded guilty to all charges following a chaotic incident in Parkdale led to his arrest.
In February, Birnie checked into Parkdale Motor Inn, where he stayed for six days. When checking out, staff realised he had completely trashed the room, with some items being left “beyond repair”.
Room 202 was filled with graffiti ridden walls, marinated with hot sauce and significant burn marks to the TV.
Birnie admitted to police he had burnt the TV using a jet lighter, and also to stabbing the fridge.
“I had a good bottle of reserve fall out and smash, so I wasn’t happy,” Birnie said.
I stuck the knife straight through the fridge, I didn’t care what I did.”
Birnie had covered the bedding and carpet with food, cigarette butts and rubbish, after being enraged the staff hadn’t come to clean his room.
“They didn’t come to clean, so I said ‘well bugger you’,” he said.
“They treated me like a pig, so I treated their place like a pig.”
Birnie also wrote racist remarks on the walls, regarding the motel staff.
“I wrote on the walls with the purple paint ‘Chinese sucks’, cause that’s what she is, she is Chinese,” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, they provoked me.”
This rage continued when Birnie checked out, as he ordered a cab.
Upon realising he’d booked a regular cab, not a maxi-cab, Birnie began arguing with the driver.
The cabbie refused to order Birnie a maxi-cab, so Brinie punched the windscreen of the car, cracking the glass.
When police arrived, they found Birnie with a shopping trolley, holding his bags and a machete.
The drama continued as police spoke with Birnie, when the hotel manager approached the group.
The manager reported the damage done by Birnie. He admitted to the altercation and was arrested.
When asked why he had a machete, Birnie told police it was for “self-defence”.
“I bought it from a girl I met in a rainforest, I thought it would be handy, plus it would be a weapon of defence. I‘ve never used it,” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a self defence mechanism for survival.”
Police also found a small amount of cannabis in Birnie’s possession, which he said “some girl gave me after I shouted her a few drinks.”
Birnie was sentenced to 180 days in prison.
Dean Wallis
A former Hasting man who assaulted his partner, broke down in tears as the full details of his terrifying actions were read out in court.
Dean Wallis, 40, was overcome with emotion as he listened to the detailed outline of his offending.
Fronting Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on June 13, Wallis pleaded guilty to assault charges and for failing to appear under his bail conditions.
The court heard Wallis had assaulted his ex-partner following an argument in a squat house they shared together in Hasting in 2020.
After arguing over the victim not giving her handbag to Wallis, he followed her into a bathroom, verbally abusing her.
The argument escalated and Wallis pushed his victim to the ground before assaulting her.
The victim went to their neighbours for help as Wallis fled the scene.
Wallis’ victim was left with bruises to her head, back and arms, and drag marks on her back.
Wallis also refused to be interviewed by police regarding the offending, later denying assaulting the victim.
“I did not assault, I did not lay a hand on her,” he said.
In court, Wallis appeared via video link from Fulham Correctional Centre, and was visibly emotional.
He wiped his eyes, and quietly sobbed for the duration of the hearing.
Wallis was represented by lawyer Travis Brown, who followed up the summary of his offending with a “particularly sad” history of his client.
‘Mr Wallis’ drug use commenced at age 13, where he shortly after developed a heroin addiction as a teenager,” Mr Brown said.
He quit heroin suddenly after a number of his friends’ passed away from overdoses.”
Mr Brown said the death of his friends was an “extremely traumatic” event for Wallis.
The court heard that Wallis had been sober for the past two years after his partner became pregnant, and that he was suffering from suspected bipolar disorder and lung cancer.
Wallis also told the court he had begun work with a therapist since being in custody.
Drug Fuelled Home Invasion:
In March, the Melbourne’s County Court heard that two met broke into a family home in Carrum Downs, after travelling to the property in an uber.
Daniel Heaven, 32 and Patrick Iaulualo, 28 pleaded guilty to home invasion and common assault charges in the County Court over the October 2020 incident, referred to as “hardly sophisticated” by Judge Paul Lacava.
Loaded up with drugs and alcohol, Heaven and Iaulualo forcefully entered the property, Heaven wearing a face covering and Iaulualo armed with a butane gas torch.
The pair left their family of victims traumatised, one victim impact statement reading that they “still wake at every noise.”
It was not revealed why the men chose that particular house.
Both men pleaded guilty to home invasion and common assault charges.
Iaulualo was later jailed for four-and-a-half years including a three-year non-parole period.
Heaven was jailed for up to four years and three months.
Saeed Mirzaie
A drug-addled man whose “traumatic” experience growing up stooped to new lows, stealing a charity box to fuel his drug addiction after being caught in an unregistered car with a glass crack pipe, a court has heard.
Saeed Mirzaie, 37, fronted Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, May 2 where he said his drug addiction started in order to erase memories of past trauma, claiming he wanted to stop using drugs.
Mirzaie pleaded guilty to a number of offences, including theft of a charity box, driving an unregistered car with false number plates and possessing methylamphetamines.
Mirzaie had already spent time in prison for some of these offences, and is incarcerated for stealing the charity box with a value of $2105, and for drug possession while on bail, both occurring in April.
Police arrested Mirzaie in December 2020, where they found him driving an unregistered car with fake number plates, finding a glass crack pipe and methylamphetamines inside the vehicle.
Mirzaie’s lawyer, Adrienna Kisvarda, provided a brief history of Mirzaie’s life, including the “traumatic” experience he had growing up in Iran before seeking asylum in Australia.
“Being raised in a war torn country, Mr Mirzaie has lost a number of his close relatives as a direct result of fighting,” Ms Kisvarda said.
“Most recently, he lost his father three years ago and his sister four years ago. Mr Mirzaie began using heroin in 2017 to cope with the memory of these traumas.”
Ms Kisvarda told the court Mirzaie had come to Australia by boat, and had been held in detention on Christmas Island and in Adelaide before his asylum status was granted.
“He was on a boat for 18 days with 80 other people. They were intercepted by Border Force,” she said.
“Upon his asylum status being approved, Mr Mirzaie came to Melbourne and began working immediately. He lost his job in February this year due to his drug addiction.”
He had since been homeless, and told the court he had an ongoing addiction to “meth and synthetic weed”.
Mirzaie told the court that he wants to “go back to life. I don’t want to use drugs again. I want to be sober”.
Magistrate John O’Callaghan was empathetic to Mirzaie’s circumstances.
“My problem with you is your drug addiction,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
“When you’re released, I’m concerned you won’t have a home to go to, and won’t have anyone helping you.”
“It is impossible to do what you’re trying to do without help.”
Mirzaie was ordered to complete the remaining 15 days of his imprisonment, and when released would be issued with a $500 fine for the breaches of his bail conditions.
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
