Bendigo man who stabbed another, committed series of thefts and dishonest offences sent to jail

Bendigo man Craig Shewan's offending took place from November 8, 2017 to May 1, 2018 in the Bendigo and Shepparton areas.

The 34-year-old pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court to intentionally causing injury, possessing methamphetamine, four counts of obtaining property by deception, seven counts of theft, three counts of handling stolen goods, dealing with the proceeds of crime, possessing a controlled weapon, and three counts of attempting to commit an indictable offence.

In January 2018, Shewan attended a Long Gully address where he hit a man in the hip with a hammer and stabbed him in the abdomen after being hit in the head with a laptop.

During the offending period, Shewan also committed numerous petrol-drive offs, attempted to steal multiple items from a supermarket by concealing them in a bin which he tried to purchase using a falsely applied discount barcode, and stole a car battery, tyres and a generator.

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Shewan used a man's stolen identification to steal $4000 from his bank account and buy $96 of petrol on credit.

He also used this identification in an unsuccessful application to purchase jewellery worth $16,000 on credit, and later used a woman's bank card and identification to steal $1300 from her account.

Shewan also used a stolen credit card to buy cigarettes.

Vehicles driven by Shewan bore stolen number plates, and police found stolen identification, a stolen car stereo remote and stolen number plates in one of the vehicles. They also discovered a knife.

Police also found two bags containing methamphetamine at his home, one 27.8 grams at 86 per cent purity and the other 21.5 grams at 84 per cent purity.

Shewan was on bail for some of this offending for firearms, weapons, bail, drug and driving offences, for which he was eventually sentenced to a community corrections order. He committed another crime two days after this sentence.

Magistrate Sarah Leighfield sentenced Shewan to 20 months' imprisonment, which included resentencing him for the offences for which he received the corrections order.

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He must serve 12 months before he is eligible for parole and has already served about 10 months.

Ms Leighfield took into account Shewan's guilty plea, for which she gave a significant discount because of the substantial time and cost it saved the court and it preventing the stabbing victim having to give evidence.

Shewan would have faced three years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years otherwise.

Ms Leighfield said she also took into account his cognitive difficulties and the trauma he suffered as a child/

She believed Shewan's rehabilitation prospects were not at "rock bottom" because of the support of his family and fiancee, and courses he had undertaken while in custody.

But Ms Leighfield also noted an injury offence for which Shewan received substantial jail time in 2008.

Shewan's lawyer Tom Battersby said his client did not want a future that involved this offending.

"He's hopeful that he's able to move past the drug use and violence that's characterised his past," Mr Battersby said.

He said Shewan's relationship with his fiancee was a "great source of motivation", and there had been times when Shewan had not come to the attention of police despite his drug use.

Prosecutor Stephanie Clancy submitted a term of imprisonment was required.

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