Patrick Raymond L’Huillier, 30, faced Bendigo Magistrates Court yesterday on three charges of shop stealing, handling stolen goods and making threats to kill.

L’Huillier was remanded in police custody after a spate of shoplifting offences in Bendigo two weeks ago. He successfully applied for bail yesterday.

Prosecuting, Leading Senior Constable Lindsay Riley said L’Huillier’s offending started on August 25 when he took $465 of men’s clothing from the Bendigo Myer store.

Leading Senior Constable Riley said L’Huillier went to another Bendigo store two days later and took a pair of leggings from an outside rack. “He took off on his bike and was chased by a shop assistant who grabbed him,” he said.

He said L’Huillier threatened to kill the shop assistant before pulling out a 10cm knife and then leaving the scene.

On August 28 police arrested L’Huillier after he stole food items from Woolworths in Golden Square. “He said he was a heavy ice and cannabis user and would steal items to swap for drugs,” Leading Senior Constable Riley said.

He said L’Huillier had extensive priors and was already on bail for making threats to kill and criminal damage.

From the dock, L’Hullier said he had only recently tried ice and he had tried to go into rehab but it was “just too addictive”. L’Huillier’s defence lawyer Luke Docherty said his client had been using ice but had cleaned up during his 14 days in custody.

Mr Docherty said L’Huillier would move in with his father if released on bail and had work as a farm labourer.

“He will be taken out of Bendigo and away from the temptation of drugs,” he said.

Magistrate John Lesser said a stable address, supervision and available work were his reasons for granting bail.