Magistrates Brett Sonnet and Leon Fluxman erupt over ‘significant’ Victorian crime wave
Two Melbourne magistrates have issued extraordinary public warnings about Victoria's exploding crime rates, piling pressure on the Allan government to act.
Victorian magistrates have declared the state is in the grip of a “significant crime wave” as they express frustration about the rise in retail crime, repeated adjournments and a “rampant” surge in vehicle thefts.
In rare public interventions in Victoria’s crime crisis during open court, magistrates Brett Sonnet and Leon Fluxman have both referenced damning police statistics released two weeks ago during proceedings and criticised delays in the justice system.
During proceedings in Court 3 this week, Mr Sonnet issued his candid comments about the explosion of crime during his time presiding over cases in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, citing crime statistics that showed an increase in burglaries.
“Truly, Victoria is in the grips of a significant crime wave. You can’t say anything more,” Mr Sonnet said.
“Issues of theft of motor vehicles can no longer be described as prevalent; they’re rampant.”
Sitting in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Mr Fluxman noted that: “Victoria is suffering very high (from) retail theft and people have to understand that significant punishment will follow”.
The magistrates’ strong comments in open court turn up the heat even further on the Allan government which is being rocked by a full-blown political crisis over its inability to get control of the crime wave.
While senior police have been voicing concerns about the youth crime wave, the judiciary has largely remained silent but the emergence of these comments ramp up pressure on the government.
Mr Sonnet expressed frustration at the number of delays he had witnessed in court, citing one matter that had been adjourned 40 times and another – in which the victim was left blind – that had 10 adjournments.
In dealing with one young male offender on Tuesday, Mr Sonnet recalled how as a young lawyer he represented an 18-year-old defendant with no criminal history charged with stealing white goods who was jailed.
“He went on a rampage one weekend and stole white goods from a new housing estate,” the magistrate said. “He was sentenced to three years imprisonment by a magistrate with a non-parole period. Unthinkable in our current environment.
“On appeal, I appeared on his behalf on both occasions. On appeal, the County Court judge said to me … ‘excellent plea you put on your client’s behalf and I’ll reduce the sentence by one month’.
“I (have) never forgotten the name of that individual, nor his face, and that gives you an idea. Burglaries and thefts are serious offences.”
Mr Sonnet warned one offender who appeared before him on Tuesday that if he appeared before him again he would impose a jail term of six months or more.
“I am not an easy magistrate to appear in front of,” he said.
Melbourne Magistrates Court declined to answer questions by The Australian about Mr Sonnet’s comments, and refused to grant an interview with Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan.
In a statement, an MCV spokesperson said it could not comment on specific matters before the court.
“In May 2025, MCV launched a pilot program, the Intensive Case Management List (ICML) to decrease the time to resolve matters, identify issues in dispute and reduce adjournments and delay,” the spokesperson said.
“Early data arising from the pilot program demonstrates increased finalisations consistent with the aims of the list.”
The Australian can reveal that since its launch, the ICML has heard more than 12,000 cases, of which at least 5 per cent were heard by Mr Sonnet.
Mr Sonnet worked for the Office of Public Prosecutions from 1998 to 2019, where he held a variety of roles including crown prosecutor.
The Australian attended Mr Sonnet’s courtroom for a second day on Wednesday to observe proceedings. During one sentencing, a man facing more than 30 charges – including assaulting a custody officer – was handed 24 months behind bars, with a non-parole period of 12 months. Moments later, the accused flipped the bird at Mr Sonnet and told him to “f..k off” before being disconnected.
Separately on Wednesday, Mr Fluxman declared Victoria was “suffering very high” from retail theft, as he sentenced a 23-year-old Indian migrant over a string of robberies that exceeded $30,000.
Serial thief Chirag Sharma pleaded guilty to dozens of charges relating to theft before Mr Fluxman and was handed a community corrections order for 100 hours over 14 months.
“Victoria is suffering very high (from) retail theft and people have to understand that significant punishment will follow,” Mr Fluxman told the court.
“If you didn’t plead guilty I would’ve sentenced you to three months imprisonment.”
Mr Fluxman warned Sharma he must comply with the order and not re-offend.
According to the latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency, nearly half of all reported crimes in the past 12 months remained unsolved.
Crime data shows more than 257,000 property and deception offences remained unsolved as were about 20 per cent of all crimes against the person – or 20,848.
Two-thirds of residential aggravated burglaries remained unsolved.
The data shows there were 246,654 recorded theft offences in Victoria in 2024-25, up by 54,175 from 2023-24, an increase of 28 per cent.
Criminal incidents jumped 18.3 per cent in the year to June, the highest since records began in 2004, while offences rose 15.7 per cent to more than 638,000.
Retail theft in Victoria has also soared, up nearly 28 per cent.
In response to mounting public pressure to address rising crime rates, the Victorian government passed new bail laws in March, including tougher bail tests for serious offenders who commit a crime while on bail.
From June 2024 to June 2025, the number of unsentenced prisoners increased by 592 – a 30 per cent jump – according to a new report by Victoria’s Sentencing Advisory Council.
The council found the increase could not be attributed to changes in the state’s bail laws.
The magistrates court is the lowest tier of court in Victoria, meaning almost anyone charged with a criminal offence faces the jurisdiction in the early stages of their proceedings.
It also handles the majority of court notices in the state, such as family violence intervention orders.
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