MADCOW, Anglicare and Haven Home Safe damaged in Bendigo CBD spree

Eric William Johnson, a 47-year-old Barkindji man of no fixed address, has admitted in the Bendigo Magistrate's Court to committing a string of offences from March 1 to 10, 2023 against Haven Home Safe, MADCOW op shop and Anglicare Bendigo causing respectively $87,082.90; $12,850 and $1750 in damages.

Johnson has been charged with 16 offences including making a threat to kill, unlawfully assaulting a person in an aggravated manner by being in possession of a knife and possessing a controlled weapon.

He was charged with five counts of damaging property including smashing 20 windows at Haven Home Safe on March 6, causing $500 more damage to the same business' windows on March 7, causing damage to windows at MADCOW op shop and Anglicare on March 8 and damaging MADCOW's door on March 9.

Johnson has also been charged with an unlawful assault on February 23, behaving in an offensive manner within view of the public, contravening a personal safety intervention order and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

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The Bendigo court heard the offending included banging and smearing food on windows, smashing windows with rocks causing extensive damage, graffitiing a business front, making threats to workers and throwing a stolen keg through the window of the MADCOW op shop, from which he had been banned.

The court also heard he produced a knife when confronted by security hired by Haven Home Safe on March 7.

The security officer had been hired in response to the damage Johnson had already caused earlier in the week, and the man was present when Johnson returned to cause more damage.

The court heard the security officer attempted to take a photo of Johnson, who was hiding in a nearby alleyway, before Johnson produced a knife. Johnson denied that he waved the knife around at the man.

On March 10, he was arrested by police on top of a business in the Bendigo CBD after refusing to come down until the organisations which he had targeted apologised and gave "his friend" housing.

The CBD was shutdown while police negotiated with Johnson for three hours.

Acting Sergeant Prosecutor Dave Rennie told the court Johnson told police: "I did it to make a statement."

"I'm a victim, not a criminal," Johnson said.

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The court was told Johnson's apparent motive for the crimes was to make Haven Home Safe, a service that links clients with housing options, give a man his house back.

Johnson had lived at the address with the man for three years and the court heard Johnson had returned to the property which, without notice, had been boarded up with his belongings inside.

Acting Sergeant Prosecutor Dave Rennie said the man who had lived with Johnson had in fact voluntarily handed in his keys as he did not wish to live with Johnson anymore.

Acting Sergeant Rennie said Johnson had been "living there by force rather than by invite" though the defence disputed this.

When the case next appears before the court, victim statements will be read out and further information about Johnson's background will be presented.

The court was told he grew up in out-of-home care, was "exposed to abuse" and was an Indigenous man who had been "institutionalised".

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