By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Dandenong father-of-five who robbed at knifepoint a Facebook Marketplace seller outside their home has been urged to “work it“ because “the system isn’t going to work for you“.
Hayden Wittekind, 26, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and disqualified driving at the Victorian County Court.
Appearing for his 16th court case, Wittekind had an extensive criminal history for dishonesty, violence, drugs and serious driving offences.
This included nine previous counts of disqualified driving.
He’d spent eight of the past nine years in custody. In that time, his longest time in the community was two months.
Seven weeks after his latest release, Wittekind enquired on 8 June about a pair of headphones advertised by the victim for $400.
Identifying himself as ‘Marcus’, Wittekind arranged to meet outside the victim’s Northcote home about 7pm.
He drove over, parked nearby and arrived in a hooded jacket and a Covid face mask.
After a first inspection, Wittekind went back to the car. When he returned he threatened the victim with a knife and fled with the headphones.
“You’ve got a choice – you follow me or you don’t,” Wittekind told him.
At the time, Wittekind was disqualified from driving for four years. He was arrested at Dalgety Street, Dandenong and remanded in custody.
On 11 November, sentencing judge John Carmody noted that Wittekind’s planned armed robbery was at the low end of a serious offence.
Wittekind had breached every opportunity to reform on community correction orders or at the Drug Court, Judge Carmody said.
A jail term with parole was the only appropriate sentence, Judge Carmody said.
On the back of a deprived, abusive childhood, Wittekind had diagnosed post-traumatic stress and long-term drug addiction that fuelled his criminality.
“The comments you made to me at the end of the plea the other day showed to me some great insight by you, if you’re fair dinkum.
“Hold onto that insight, even though you’ve got time in front of you in jail and stick to it on your release.
“Unfortunately as you know from own experience, the system isn’t going to work for you. You’ll have to work it.
“You’re a young man, you’re only 26. You’ve got many years in front of you to enjoy life – so all the best.”
Wittekind was jailed for up to two years, four months. He’ll be eligible for parole after 18 months.
