By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Pakenham man has been jailed for burgling a series of newly-constructed homes at least partly to clear a drug debt.
Stefan James Lee, 29, was on bail and a community corrections order while he broke into homes in Pakenham in late February, a court heard.
During two break-ins, Lee stole about $4000 of items such as door handles, door stops and power tools.
Lee had been bailed by police on 1 December after being arrested for burgling two under-construction homes almost ready for hand-over in an Officer estate.
On those occasions in late November, he stole goods such as rangehoods, uninstalled LED downlights, a hotplate and drills.
He told police at the time he stole to clear a drug debt, though he had no recollection of the second burglary.
His fingerprints were found at both scenes.
Lee also pleaded guilty to using stolen driver’s licences and Medicare cards to try to buy mobile phones online in January and February.
Police found 19 items of mail addressed to other people at his home, as well as stolen identity and credit cards.
A defence lawyer told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 19 March that Lee relapsed into significant ice and amphetamine use after the overdose death of a former partner in 2016.
During that time, he was unable to keep down his full-time job and “not in the best place” to engage with his CCO.
Lee had previously breached the corrections order with non-compliance and ice possession.
The lawyer said Lee – who appeared on a custody video-link at court – had insight and wanted to “turn things around” in residential rehab.
“It’s a long road,” the lawyer said.
Magistrate Julie O’Donnell said Lee’s latest offending on a CCO warranted jail time.
He was jailed for two months followed by a treatment-focused community corrections order.
The supervised 18-month order included judicial monitoring due to Lee’s high risk of re-offending, Ms O’Donnell said.
Lee was ordered to complete 150 hours of voluntary work – which is wholly transferable with drug and mental health treatment.
Ms O’Donnell warned Lee that any breach of the CCO would lead to a jail term.
