Repeat offender in Bendigo court for gun, stolen goods crimes

Judge Geoff Chettle told 34-year-old Guy Grech he would "definitely be getting more" time in prison for crimes including possessing a trafficable quantity of firearms, three counts of dishonestly dealing with stolen goods including a Holden Commodore sedan, methylamphetamine possession, having a shortened barrel gun and a summary charge of possessing cartridge ammunition.

The judge told the "recidivist" it was concerning that a person with his history was "running around with a sawn-off shotty".

READ MORE:

Grech pleaded guilty to all charges which related to incidents involving a 20-year-old co-accused.

Though Grech was not charged with the theft of items relevant to the dishonest dealing charges, the court heard a number of victim impact statements had been provided regarding the stolen items.

The stolen items included $6000 of jewellery, $1000 in collectable coins, car keys, five guns, a Holden Commodore Sedan and registration plates taken from properties in Timor and Dunach (small localities situated between Bendigo and Ballarat) in October 2022.

Grech was remanded in custody after an interview at the Bendigo Police Station on October 6, 2022, after which police searched a home in Melton West.

MORE STORIES:

Despite the defence team arguing that Grech was "at best a handler and not a thief", Judge Chettle said he would have been better off being a thief, with the maximum sentence for the former being five years more than the maximum sentence for theft.

His defence team also told the court Grech had "told police where things were" when they carried out a search, and said he had co-operated "as best he (could)".

Judge Chettle expressed some disagreement with those claims and said Grech had been "hanging around with bad people".

The court heard Grech had struggled with learning difficulties from an early age with particular issues around ADHD and a "big issue with meth".

He is involved in several programs including an art course at Box Hill TAFE, and a VicRail certificate II qualification in civil construction.

Appearing on October 24, 2023, the court heard Grech had served 384 days of pre-sentence detention.

Judge Chettle said, "given his past, his parole prospects are probably grim".

Judge Chettle did note it was the first time he had dealt with a charge for possessing a "trafficable quantity" of guns - which means more than two.

Grech's history was described as "shocking", and said the shortened firearm was "not for rabbit shooting".

Grech will return to the Melbourne County Court for sentencing in February 2024 after a psychiatric report and further information on victim compensation is supplied to the court.

Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.