By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A serial burglar has been jailed for nine months after raiding construction sites across the South East in a hire car.
Kevin Campbell, 34, was sentenced at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 7 February after being assessed for a community corrections order.
He and his accomplices stole two dishwashers, two ovens, a key safe, and about $5000 of tools and hardware during five break-ins in three days in Keysborough, Patterson Lakes and Seaford.
They hired a Toyota Camry that was monitored by a tracking device during the burglaries in late August 2021.
Campbell also pled guilty to evading and recklessly putting police in danger of serious injury after his hire car was pulled over by police at a “known address of criminal activity” in Carrum Downs early on 23 August.
He sped forward at the stationary police car, forcing its driver to accelerate heavily and veer left to avoid a crash.
Campbell’s car fled at speeds of more than 100 km/h along Gamble Road.
He was disqualified from driving and on a community corrections order (CCO) at the time.
The next day, police arrested Campbell and his co-accused in his Doveton motel room.
Police seized the Camry hire car as well as stolen tools and a range of hardware stolen from the Keysborough building site.
Campbell also pled guilty to being caught driving six times despite being disqualified for 30 months at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in late 2020.
He was also charged with breaching an intervention order by following and flashing lights at a victim in her friend’s car.
Prior to sentencing, police had urged for a lengthy jail term. Campbell’s lawyer submitted for a CCO plus time already served in remand.
The CCO assessment found Campbell was at high-risk of reoffending.
Magistrate Greg Connellan noted that Campbell’s nine month jail term included 167 days spent in pre-sentence remand.
Upon release, he must serve 15 months on a treatment-based community correction order, including judicial monitoring.
The repeat traffic offender was also disqualified from driving for five years.
