By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A homeless man, freshly released from custody, is back in jail after breaking into Lyndale Secondary College early on Sunday, 11 November.
Ahmet Gezer told police he had been looking for a place to sleep when he entered a mobile music portable classroom about 2.30am, a court was told.
He denied police’s claim that he damaged the classroom’s glass door in the process.
On bail at the time, Gezer rifled through the portable’s items, removing a large piece from a recorder, another musical instrument and a bag.
He left the items on a school oval next to the portable.
Police arrived, chasing Gezer on foot for 1.5 kilometres along the Eastlink Trail footpath, the court heard.
He was arrested at Oakwood Avenue, Dandenong North.
Police seized a bag of ‘ice’ and took Gezer to Dandenong Hospital due to an accelerated heart rate.
His bike, which was left behind at the college, was also seized.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen had released Gezer from custody onto a community corrections order three days earlier.
Gezer had failed to attend his first CCO appointment.
“He’s annoyed and disappointed in himself,” his lawyer told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 12 November.
“He had a genuine desire to complete the corrections order.”
Gezer’s lawyer said he had only been offered one night of emergency accommodation by The Salvation Army after his release.
He sought work, and had not yet had the benefits of the CCO treatment programs to address his issues, the lawyer argued.
“He had that opportunity last week,” Mr Vandersteen retorted.
“It’s not appropriate for us to put people in the community and see if it will work.”
Gezer was jailed for six months, including re-sentencing for the charges relating to his cancelled corrections order.
“I don’t doubt you were genuinely keen to go on the order,” Mr Vandersteen said.
“Ultimately you weren’t in a position to comply with the order.”
