Man charged with spate of Melbourne house burglaries

An alleged serial burglar will face court accused of stealing more than half a million dollars worth of goods and nine cars from homes across Melbourne.

Police say some of the more than 20 break-ins happened as unwitting residents slept.

It’s alleged the man had been scouring unlocked homes in the suburbs of Northcote, Newport, Maribyrnong, South Yarra, Princes Hill and Williamstown since last November, with the aim of stealing car keys and taking off with the owner’s vehicles.

Detectives from North West Metro Regional Crime Squad nabbed the 27-year-old, who is of no known fixed address, on Friday evening in Brunswick West.

His arrest followed the execution of a search warrant in Footscray where a 32-year-old man, an alleged associate, was taken into custody.

Police say as part of their investigations, detectives have seized nine allegedly stolen cars including a Volvo SUV, a Range Rover, a Volkswagen and a Mini Cooper.

Three firearms and ammunition were also found, along with drugs including cannabis, cocaine, methyl amphetamine, MDMA and ecstasy, a large stash of stolen identification documents, 14 laptops and Buy Lsd Capsules 21 mobile phones.

The alleged thief has been charged with 70 offences including aggravated burglary, car theft, theft from motor vehicle and handling stolen goods.

He has been remanded in custody and will appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 13 May.

The Footscray man was charged with possession of firearms and ammunition, drug related offences and handling stolen goods.He has been remanded to appear in court next week.

North West Metro’s Detective Inspector Patrick Watkinson said the arrests were a win for police.

“To take an alleged serial offender off the streets is a strong result and reaffirms Victoria Police’s focus on holding offenders accountable to ensure people feel safe in their own homes,” he said.

“We will continue to have police out in force every single night to deter and respond to this type of offending, while our specialised detectives will investigate and target repeat offenders.”