Two Ballarat men caught breaking into a Ballarat church have been denied bail.
David Boyd, 21 and Scott Peters, 19, appeared together at the Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday, where they applied for bail following their arrest on Wednesday.
Giving evidence, Ballarat Police Constable Amy Feetham told the court that on September 25 at 7pm, Boyd, Peters and three co-accused arrived at a Caravan Street address, which housed a church in one section and a warehouse in another.
Constable Feetham said Boyd used bolt cutters to gain entry to the church, where the group stole a number of items including speakers, an electric guitar, a surround sound system and a sound-mixing device, with a total value of more than $10,000.
She said the stolen goods were dropped off at Boyd’s parents’ home before the group returned to the address at 1am, where they forced a door and rifled through the office area, setting off a security alarm which alerted police.
Constable Feetham said Boyd was on bail at the time in relation to burglary offences, while Peters was on bail for making threats to kill.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Steve Kent said both men were unacceptable risks of re-offending because they had already defied court orders and allegedly committed crimes while on bail.
As defence barrister Alexandra Squarci was cross-examining Constable Feetham, Peters was waving at the police officer and visibly laughing at her from the dock.
Ms Squarci submitted Boyd could be bailed to his parents’ home, which was fitted with security cameras due to their son’s prolific offending.
She said Peters could be given another chance to fulfil a community corrections order he was on for previous offending.
Magistrate Andrew Capell denied bail for both men.
The pair were remanded in custody to re-appear in court on October 18.