A MAN stole four firearms and two motorbikes from a property north of Bendigo after he heard allegations of schoolyard bullying, a court has been told.
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John Lee Farrell, 36, appeared in the County Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to 11 charges including aggravated burglary, theft of a firearm, and intentionally causing serious injury.
The court heard Farrell visited his co-offender Ari Lacroix at a property in Pyramid Hill on July 24, 2018.
The men were drinking alcohol that evening when they became aware of allegations that the daughter of Lacroix's partner was being bullied at school.
Farrell and Lacroix decided they needed to confront the father of the alleged bully.
The pair went to the victim's home and threw rocks at the property while yelling abuse. The family was home at the time, but chose to relocate for the night due to their concerns.
Later that evening, Farrell and Lacroix returned to the victim's property and entered through a security door to a patio area.
Once inside the property, the men used a small angle grinder to cut the padlock to the gun safe.
The pair stole two rifles and two shotguns, before taking a Yamaha Peewee 50 and a Yamaha Peewee 80 from the property.
One of the men also defecated on the concrete under the patio before leaving the house.
The victim reported the burglary to police later that morning after he returned home to see the open security door and the breached firearms safe.
Police attended the property and found bike drag marks from the victim's home to the house where Farrell and Lacroix were staying. The two stolen motorbikes were located in an open rear shed.
Read more court: Teen fronts Children's Court over alleged car theft in Bendigo
The pair were at the property at the time and showed police where they had concealed the firearms under a blanket in the laundry.
Farrell and Lacroix were arrested and taken to the Inglewood Police Station for questioning.
Farrell mostly made a no-comment interview, but told officers he wanted to speak to the victim about the alleged bullying.
The 36-year-old on Thursday also pleaded guilty to assaulting a different victim on two separate occasions in July and August 2018.
On one of those occasions, Farrell broke into the victim's Melbourne home and repeatedly punched the man.
The victim sustained injuries including bleeding to the brain and a possible spinal injury.
Defence counsel Benjamin Lindner told the court Farrell's offending was linked to his abuse of alcohol and drugs.
Mr Lindner said his client began using cannabis, methamphetamine, and heroin as a teenager, after he had a childhood in foster care.
The defence counsel said there was a brief period of stability in Farrell's life from about 2007 to 2014, but his drug habit resumed after his long-term relationship broke down.
Mr Lindner said Farrell's offending had been "opportunistic" and "amateurish".
He noted his client had entered a guilty plea to the Bendigo matters at the earliest opportunity.
Mr Lindner also said while Farrell's plea to Melbourne offending had come much later, the 36-year-old had not wanted to delay the matters.
Judge Paul Lacava said he did not accept that Farrell had been "anxious" to plead guilty.
The judge noted the plea to the Melbourne offending was entered after Farrell's co-offender gave evidence against him.
Mr Lindner said Farrell was remorseful for his crimes and his guilty pleas should hold greater value given the backlog of court cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge Lacava adjourned sentencing to a date yet to be fixed. Farrell was remanded in custody until his next court date.
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