A drug addict who committed "amateur-ish" burglaries in rural Victoria has become stuck in a cycle of jail time and offending, a court has heard.
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Colin Joseph Campbell, 42, was sentenced to 34 months in prison with a non-parole period of 22 months by the County Court sitting in Melbourne on October 5, with 481 days of pre-sentence detention recognised by the court.
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Campbell had pleaded guilty to two burglary charges, three theft charges, firearm theft, dangerous driving while pursued by police and driving while disqualified.
Judge Claire Quin said three burglary victims had "eloquently expressed" the impact of Campbell's crimes, which had meant "more than the theft" of items and was an "invasion" of their homes.
Victim lost trust in other people
One victim said the crimes had caused her to "lose trust in humankind".
The court also heard animals at both targeted homes had shown changes in their behaviour after the crimes.
Judge Quin said Campbell had caused great distress by stealing items of "little value to the market or others" but that were "irreplaceable" for the victims.
At one of the properties, seven guns were stolen with only one having been recovered.
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The court heard Campbell, who is a father of two, was a witness and subject to significant domestic violence as a child at the hands of his father who died by suicide around 10 years ago.
Judge Quin said the former apprentice bricklayer's life had been dominated by drugs, driving and dishonesty offences after he started using cannabis at 18 and then methylamphetamine in his early 20s.
The court heard Campbell used a variety of drugs to cope with traumatic incidents and during his burglaries in May 2022 he was "heavily drug affected" and looking for items to sell to buy more drugs.
Campbell has 'high risk' of re-offending
The court heard the crimes were not pre-planned and he also left items behind that helped to identify him.
Judge Quin acknowledged Campbell's relatively early plea of guilty but also his "high risk of re-offending".
She said there was a "significant impact" for victims "beyond the inconvenience of having items stolen", and there were six dangerous weapons that remained at large.
He has completed a number of courses in custody and has taken on a role to assist maintaining the grounds at the prison.
Campbell will also be disqualified from driving for two years.
Without a plea of guilty, Judge Quin said she would have sentenced Campbell to five years jail with a non-parole period of three years.
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Lucy Williams
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
