By Alana Mitchelson
The girlfriend of a man who allegedly wielded scissors in a Dandenong supermarket chuckled audibly in court as the police prosecutor presented his evidence statement to the magistrate.
The 31-year-old accused, Michael Cox, visited the Dandenong Coles store on Princes Highway on Saturday 31 December when he was seen opening a packet of scissors.
The Dingley Village resident allegedly then used the scissors to open packets of other items and proceeded to place them in his pockets.
The store manager called triple zero and when police arrived at the scene, the manager presented the police officers with the pair of scissors.
When Cox spotted the police, he allegedly began “backing away” from them and turned into another aisle in an attempt to avoid the officers.
The accused allegedly became verbally aggressive and evasive towards police.
He then pulled items from his pockets and threw them on the floor.
Police found toiletries and rolled up $50 notes – later determined to be counterfeit – on the supermarket’s floor.
Cox allegedly kicked at police, swung his arms around and swore as officers arrested him.
They located a container in his underwear with two zip-lock bags containing about 12g of cannabis.
The accused was escorted to the police van where he pulled further items from his pockets, including a packet of shoelaces and elastic bands while he was being driven to Dandenong police station.
Cox refused to answer police questions and threw the interview room microphone across the table.
The magistrate heard that the accused had a history of not complying with court orders over his 32-page list of prior convictions ranging from dishonesty to drug-related offences.
He was refused bail on the grounds that there would be “too high a risk” of him reoffending.
The accused was charged with theft, resisting arrest and being in possession of a drug of dependence.
