Man with 50 prior convictions for theft faces court for latest crime spree

Dale Buhler sought a sentence indication in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court for numerous offences he committed between April 8 and April 25, 2024.

According to a police summary, Buhler attempted to steal from a bicycle parking area at St John of God Hospital on April 8, but after failing to access any bikes, took a tool kit worth $50.

Two days later, Buhler stole a bike from the back of a ute, which he spotted while walking through a car park on Gillies Street in Wendouree.

On April 11, Buhler stole a credit card from the Wendouree area which he used to make a series of transactions at locations including Hot and Tasty Kebabs, Woolworths Sebastopol and BWS Sebastopol.

The next day, he stole another credit card from a black handbag at the Sporting Globe Ballarat, which he proceeded to use at the APCO service station in Redan.

Buhler committed the same offence when he attended The Dressing Room Recycled in Bakery Hill, and stole a leather wallet containing multiple bank cards on April 19.

Later that day, Buhler helped steal a Mazda CX-9 from the garage of a Canadian home.

At the time of the theft, the owner of the vehicle and her son were at home and saw a man standing in their driveway.

They then saw their car being backed out of their garage, before the man got into the passenger side of the vehicle and it drove off.

About 11.33am that morning, Buhler was captured on CCTV filling the stolen car with petrol at the United service station on Sturt Street.

For this transaction, he used the owner's bank card which had been left in the vehicle.

Later that afternoon, Buhler used a stolen credit card to buy $192 of goods from MaxiFoods on La Trobe Street in Redan and cigarettes from the APCO service station in Redan.

About 5pm, Buhler went to Spotlight Wendouree, where he took a starter kit crafting machine worth $365, before leaving the shop via the rear exit.

Buhler was eventually arrested on April 25, after getting into a fight with a woman whose unit he was staying at.

After the woman confronted him over stolen property he had at the unit, Buhler became angry and hit a heater with a hammer.

He then left the property, but returned later that afternoon, where he yelled at the woman from outside the unit and hit her security door with the hammer.

The police were then called, and arrested Buhler nearby.

Buhler's lawyer Roisin Pryor said while her client had a significant criminal history, he had managed to not commit any offences between being released from prison in October 2023 and the current spate of crimes.

She said Buhler's latest offending had been caused by a drug relapse.

Ms Pryor also said her client had stable accommodation with his aunt and had been found suitable for the Court Integrated Services Program [CISP], which aims to reduce the likelihood of re-offending by helping people access support services.

Magistrate Guillaume Bailin said over the past 12 years Buhler had received more than 50 conviction for burglaries and thefts and had breached seven community corrections orders.

He said while he could give Buhler a prison sentence for the crimes, it wouldn't protect the community, as he would re-offend as soon as released.

Instead, Mr Bailin said he would give Buhler an opportunity to comply with strict CISP conditions and would defer his sentence.

"The offending is brazen, unsophisticated, and opportunistic, this is offending which has had a significant impact on the community, Mr Bailin said.

"Mr Buhler has significant work to do to prove to me he's worthwhile for CISP."

The indication was accepted by Buhler who pleaded guilty to all charges.

When addressing Buhler, Mr Bailin said if he didn't comply with CISP conditions he would immediately face six months of imprisonment.

"If you're ready for change, we'll find out if you are, or if you're just saying it to get out of prison," he said.