A MAN with an intellectual disability who went on a spending spree at a host of retail outlets in Kangaroo Flat using a stolen credit card has been freed from custody.
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The man appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining property by deception and negligently receiving stolen goods.
The court heard the man had purchased a stolen mobile phone that had credit card details stored on it in May. The phone had been removed from a vehicle parked on the street in the Golden Square and Kangaroo Flat areas.
CCTV footage shows the man entering Lansell Square shopping centre. The court heard the man then purchased a variety of goods including socks, underpants and food from outlets including the Reject Shop, Coles, an Ampol service station and the nearby Bunnings store.
The man, who has a disability, admitted to the offending, but said he struggled to remember all the details, which was a reflection of his cognitive impairment.
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Magistrate Trieu Huynh described the man's offending as a "bit of a spree".
The court heard the man had been fully cooperative when he was arrested by police in June. He also has priors for theft and burglary related matters, which were described as a "history of dishonesty offences".
He had arranged for the stolen phone to be returned to its owner.
The man's intellectual disability was confirmed in reports submitted to the court that he had ADHD, and was on medication to help manage his condition.
The court heard the man had not taken his medication at the time of his offending, and that this had contributed to his impulsive behaviour.
The man was supported in court by his NDIS case manager.
The court heard he had experienced great hardship during the time he been held in custody when he was arrested, including spending two weeks in isolation, and he had been in lockdown for the period July 18 - August 6, when he had been one of more than 230 cases of COVID-19 in the Hopkins Correctional Centre where he was being held.
Magistrate Huynh accepted the man's early guilty plea and the context of his offending.
The man was sentenced to a period of 42 days imprisonment - taken as time served.
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Peter Kennedy
Peter has worked in a variety of senior leadership roles within the local media industry across more than three decades, and enjoys being part of a team committed to keeping Bendigo up to date with the latest news and sport.
Peter has worked in a variety of senior leadership roles within the local media industry across more than three decades, and enjoys being part of a team committed to keeping Bendigo up to date with the latest news and sport.
