A teenager will be given another opportunity to complete rehabilitation in the community after being remanded into custody for new offending.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jay Marsden appeared at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court via video link on Thursday and pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and negligently dealing with proceeds of crime.
The 18-year-old was released from custody on a deferred sentence in February after pleading guilty to 16 charges.
He was remanded into custody and bail was revoked on April 2 after police found him in possession of a $1500 BMX bike that had been stolen in an aggravated burglary days earlier.
If there is no further offending you will get a good outcome from me
- Magistrate Ron Saines
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Giles Brown said police attended a Sebastopol unit in an attempt to locate a missing person and found Marsden inside.
The officers took a photo of the BMX bike that was inside the house before leaving as they noticed it was expensive and it seemed out of place.
The court heard officers returned to the police station and were told of a burglary where a bike was stolen matching the description of the one seen at the Sebastopol unit.
Police returned to the address and Marsden said the bike had been collected by a friend.
He was charged with handling stolen goods and negligently dealing with proceeds of crime.
Marsden said he did not know the bike was stolen and said he had swapped his necklace for the bike with a friend.
Before being released on bail in February, Marsden was arrested and charged after his palm print was found on a stolen car.
He was also found to have entered a unit that was damaged by fire and stole jewellery and an Xbox in November 2020.
He also entered an unlocked car and stole a mobile phone, pocket knife and $500 in spare change.
In December, Marsden broke into a service station that was under construction and stole goods that were to be shelved for opening.
Addressing the new charges, a defence lawyer said Marsden had never turned his mind to the origins of the bike and accepts he should have.
She said he had spent 13 days in custody since he was arrested on the new charges in April and had spent 28 days in custody from January 18 to February 15.
The court heard Marsden had engaged well with youth justice during his time on bail, completed a stint in drug rehabilitation and said he was keen to continue his progress.
The lawyer asked the magistrate to consider sentencing Marsden to time served with ongoing youth justice support in place and arrangements for drug rehabilitation.
Magistrate Ron Saines said he intended to release Marsden on bail and defer sentencing again to continue monitoring his progress.
"When I spoke to you in February I told you I accepted you had considerable instability and poverty in your childhood that was not your fault and leniency was still possible," he said.
Mr Saines said if Marsden was not involved in the aggravated burglary, he was in contact with the people who committed it immediately afterwards to gain possession of the bike.
He said Marsden would spend more time in jail if he continued to be involved in offending that impacted members of the public.
"The opportunity is still to be extended to you," he said.
"If there is no further offending you will get a good outcome from me."
Marsden will remain in custody until Monday when he will be brought to Ballarat and released on bail.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.