A man has spent two months in prison after he was found with a meat cleaver and a cigarette lighter outside his former partner's home.
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Christopher Walmot Stabb, 52, was sentenced to time served at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Friday.
The Sebastopol man was found with the weapon and lighter outside the women's home about 4.15am on December 23, 2020.
He was on bail on July 11, 2021 when he trespassed into a unit near his home that had been earlier on fire with intent to steal.
He pushed over temporary fencing and police tape that was put up after the fire was extinguished.
It appears to me if you keep your mental health better controlled, you are far less likely to end up in police custody or jail.
- Magistrate Ron Saines
He stole 165 DVDs and an urn containing human ashes.
Police said Stabb had never been employed and had a long history of drug and alcohol addiction and violent intimate relationships.
Magistrate Ron Saines said he expected Stabb would be released from prison this week after sentencing him to two months imprisonment.
He will commence a nine-month community corrections order when he is released with requirements he undergo treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
"It appears to me if you keep your mental health better controlled, you are far less likely to end up in police custody or jail," Mr Saines said.
"If your mental health gets out of hand you finish up promptly in police hands and jail.
"As unpleasant as that must have been for you, it is the only answer until you get your health back under control."
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