Man admits possessing items stolen in burglary that closed popular bar

The operator of the popular Lawn Bar at the Warrnambool Lawn Tennis Club announced in December 2023 it was closing.

He said the concept of the pop-up bar had worked well during the previous summer, but the constant attention of thieves had ruined the business.

Around the same time items, including fishing gear, were stolen from the Surfside Caravan Park in Pertobe Road.

That led to a police raid at an Ocean Grove property in Warrnambool on February 19, 2024.

Some of the stolen goods were found hidden or buried at the property.

The occupant, Michael Redmond, 40, was subsequently charged with handling stolen goods and possessing the proceeds of crime.

He pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on April 2, 2024, and was jailed for three months.

It was not alleged Redmond was involved in the burglary and theft of the items.

But a police prosecutor said a good handler created an industry that benefited thieves, which was acknowledged by parliament setting a higher maximum penalty for handling than stealing.

The prosecutor said the items Redmond handled had serious consequences for the victim, noting the owners of the pop-up bar were forced to close prematurely.

He said the items stolen from the bar included a security camera, drill, first-aid kit, packets of chips and various bottles of alcohol.

He said the impact was not necessarily related to the value of the items stolen but the cessation of trade which impacted the victim "quite significantly".

The court heard Redmond had a long criminal history dating back to 2000, involving a number of dishonesty-related offences.

In March 2023 he was placed on a 12-month community correction order for burglary, theft, drug possession and driving offences.

He then re-offended within a week when he burgled a maintenance shed at the Warrnambool cemetery and stole alcohol from Proudfoots By The River.

Redmond's lawyer Jarrod Lee said his client had been engaging with the Reconnect Program but his case worker said there was a "large backlog" of access to rehabilitative programs.

Mr Lee said Redmond was unemployed, lived in public housing and a jail sentence would render him homeless.

But he said his client accepted a jail sentence was likely given his past.

Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said the man had a very extensive criminal history and the offences he pleaded guilty to occurred during the currency of a community correction for the exact same crimes.

He said the offending was deliberate, undermined the community's safety and well-being, and there was no other option but jail.

"The time has come for you to seriously consider how you want to live your life... if you continue this way you will be sentenced to much, much longer (in custody)," Mr Lethbridge said.

Redmond has served two days in pre-sentence detention.