Thomas Towle pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Friday to 32 charges including theft from a shop, theft, burglary, attempted burglary, retention of stolen goods and obtaining property by deception, as well as breaching a community corrections order.

The court heard Towle and a co-offender broke into a massage business in Mundy Street in the early hours of February 6, from where they stole up to $3000 in cash.

The offenders were caught on CCTV sliding on their backs along the floor.

Then in March, Towle broke into a storage area underneath a Barkly Terrace home and stole a mountain bike worth $850, which the victim found at a pawn shop four months later.

Between April 28 and 29, Towle broke into a Barkly Street home and stole a substantial amount of jewellery and cash, worth about $2500, as well as a bike.

Police later found a bike at Towle’s North Bendigo home.

On July 4, Towle visited a California Gully hardware store and stole a power tool worth $300.

Less than a week later, he broke into an Eaglehawk cafe and took about $250 from the till and about $300 from the employees’ tip jar.

He then made his way to a High Street bridal store and a beauty salon, where he damaged the businesses’ doors in an unsuccessful attempt to break in by jemmying them open.

But he did manage to break into a bakery, where he stole a total of about $35 in five, 20 and 50 cent pieces.

Another unsuccessful break-in attempt was made at a discount store, before he got into a financial planner’s premises and stole about $100.

Towle made more break-in attempts at two stores he had already visited, and then broke into a gaming venue’s storage area, from where it was believed he stole cleaning items.

He also broke into a takeaway food shop and stole change, a phone and a tablet, worth about $2500.

In early August, Towle broke into an Eaglehawk massage business and stole about $190 in cash, plus other items.

From vehicles parked in the driveway of a nearby home, he also stole cash and tools.

About a week later, he broke into a petrol station by smashing a window and took $300 in cash, $1200 worth of cigarettes, and a soft drink.

CCTV of this incident again showed him sliding on his back along the floor.

A few days later, Towle and a co-accused broke into the shed of an Eaglehawk home and took power tools, before attempting to break into another shop.

Towle also stole a bottle of vodka from a Bendigo Marketplace bottle shop in August, which was captured on CCTV.

Police prosecutor Sally Mannell told the court blood found on a broken window from a January 2015 break-in at a hairdresser, in which $150 was stolen, was matched to blood found at the petrol station.

A police search of Towle’s home uncovered a jacket seen on the offender in CCTV footage of the petrol station burglary, as well as a pair of distinctive blue shoes seen on CCTV footage of a number of incidents.

Towle’s defence lawyer Kellie Blair said her client knew the impact of his offending.

She told the court Towle spent more than seven years in prison after he was involved in a “life-changing incident”, and settled in Bendigo in 2013 while on parole.

Towle had mostly done well on parole, Ms Blair said, and a breach that saw him return to prison for a further eight months “really rocked him”.

Ms Blair said Towle became depressed and relapsed into drug use when, in late 2017, one of his children decided to move away.

She said he had also decided to decrease his methadone intake, which had an impact.

The past three months Towle had spent in custody, Ms Blair said, had left him “ very motivated to do the right thing”.

She submitted the three and a half months was enough time in custody and asked he be put on a community corrections order.

Ms Blair said Towle risked losing his public housing, because while he was in custody it was only secured for six months.

Magistrate Megan Aumair adjourned sentencing to next month, but indicated Towle faced a total jail sentence of six months.

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.