A man snuck into an elderly man’s bedroom and took his phone and pants from beside his bed while he slept before transferring $32,000 from the man’s bank account, a court has heard.
Lenard Weston, 20, from Shepparton, unsuccessfully applied for bail in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.
He is charged with aggravated burglary, robbery, theft of a vehicle, assault, two counts of theft, and two counts of obtaining property by deception, but has not entered any pleas to the charges.
Detective Senior Constable Nathan Berryman told the court Weston broke into the garage at a Mooroopna house, rifled through a car, and took two screwdrivers, which he used to jemmy open doors to access the house.
Once inside, police allege Weston searched desk drawers and removed old cards, before taking the 90-year-old occupant’s pants off the floor beside his bed as he slept in search of his wallet.
He also took the man’s mobile phone from his bedside table.
Det Sen Constable Berryman said $32,000 was transferred out of the man’s bank account in multiple amounts, with a total loss of $14,100 before the bank could stop the transactions.
The officer said a fingerprint was found on the outside handle of the door of the car in the garage at the man’s house that matched the accused.
At 12.40pm, Weston was found by police with $1005.20 in cash, as well as a new $450 mobile phone, gold chains worth $1150, a $470 bracelet and $470 worth of new clothes bought that day.
Police allege Weston was with another person that morning whose bank account they say Weston transferred $10,000 into and who had withdrawn $4999 that day.
They allege that person gave Weston some of the money he withdrew.
Det Sen Constable Berryman also told the court police allege Weston also stole a Toyota RAV4 from the driveway of a Nathalia house on April 4, before veering off the road and into a channel just north of Shepparton.
He said DNA found at the vehicle matched Weston’s.
Det Sen Constable Berryman alleges that on a separate occasion, on August 9, he went to another person’s Shepparton house where he threatened a third person at the house who was intellectually disabled, saying “give me your phone or I will kill you”, before taking the phone.
He opposed bail, saying Weston was a heavy substance user in the past and that he had told his Court Integrated Services Program worker he used methamphetamines daily.
Weston’s solicitor Ian Michaelson told the court he thought the case for the aggravated burglary on the 90-year-old man was weak and the prosecution relied on a fingerprint on the outside of a car door.
Mr Michaelson argued there would be a delay in finalising the case as DNA evidence from the screwdrivers needed to be obtained, and Weston’s young age and intellectual disability were also reasons he should be bailed.
He also said any risks could be moderated to an acceptable level with strict bail conditions including that he complied with a community corrections order he was already on, as well as with a youth justice plan. He also said a curfew and reporting to police would also help.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Luke Lund, however, argued the case was strong with a fingerprint taken from the car parked inside a garage.
He also said Weston was captured on CCTV spending large amounts of money while in the company of one of his co-accused.
Magistrate Victoria Campbell refused bail saying the matter was serious and that a prison sentence was “likely” if there was a finding of guilt.
Weston will next appear in court in October.