Connor Gillespie, 23, faced Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 27 after pleading guilty to a range of charges including trespassing, deception, theft, possessing a drug of dependence and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
The court heard Gillespie and a co-accused attended an address in Shepparton on two separate occasions in October last year, where they gained access inside the home.
On these two occasions the pair rummaged through a spare room in the house and stole a number of items including various baseball caps, Adidas and Nike shoes, a set of headphones, a back pack, a Fitbit, three watches and a gold necklace.
The court heard Shepparton Crime Scene officers attended the address on two occasions where a number of fingerprints were recovered.
On October 29 last year, Shepparton police executed an officer's authority at a Shepparton house where the accused was observed running from the residential property into the backyard and jumping the fence in an attempt to avoid police.
Police searched Gillespie's bedroom where they found a number of items stolen earlier that month from the Shepparton address.
Gillespie was found, arrested and taken to Shepparton Police Station where he was later bailed.
The court heard on April 22 this year, Gillespie was arrested for breaching his bail conditions, with police finding an amount of cannabis inside his bag and an ice pipe in his shorts pocket.
The court heard Gillespie had also previously been charged with falsifying a transaction receipt after agreeing to pay for an Apple iMac computer someone was selling on Facebook marketplace in 2018 for $1000.
The court were told the accused deceived the victim into believing the money had been transferred when it had not, despite receiving the computer.
Gillespie's lawyer Harry Lewis told the court his client had spent the past 87 days in pre-sentence detention, which included time in lockdown due to the coronavirus restrictions.
The court heard this involved a two-week period where the accused was only allowed to leave his cell for 20 minutes a day, which Mr Lewis described as "more onerous" than a standard term of imprisonment.
He said the restrictions on visits had also been a matter of stress for his client, urging Magistrate Stella Stuthridge to take this into account.
Mr Lewis argued that while Gillespie's previous offending related to burglaries and thefts, his remand in April this year was for contravening bail conditions and possession of a "very small" quantity of cannabis.
“There has been a decline in the severity of the offending and in terms of rehabilitation, while it has been an extremely rocky road for Gillespie, there certainly has been some improvement for him,” he said.
Mr Lewis urged Ms Stuthridge to take into account the effect of a young offender being in an adult prison, which he said was more likely to impair rather than improve his chances of successful rehabilitation.
The court heard Gillespie also had full-time employment available to him upon his release.
He was sentenced to six months in prison with 87 days considered as already served.
MORE COURT NEWS
Shepparton man pleads not guilty to attempted murder
Man faces historic sexual assault charges
Man denied bail over Shepparton cannabis crop house
22°C