A MAN who allegedly broke into his elderly and deaf grandmother’s South Bathurst home last month before stealing her mobile phone, licence, cash and credit card has been refused bail after a brief appearance in Bathurst Local Court.
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Zachary Forbes, 23, of Warwick Farm, sat silently, handcuffed, in the dock during the brief bail application before local court registrar Mark Nicholls yesterday.
Forbes, who was already on bail at the time of alleged offences, was charged by police on Thursday with break and enter and five counts of dishonestly obtaining money by deception.
The charges relate to an alleged break and enter between April 19 and 20 in South Bathurst, where police allege Forbes entered the home of his grandmother, Helen Pritchard, before stealing her mobile phone, licence, cash and a credit card. Police allege the credit card was fraudulently used for amounts of $60.99, $6.98, $83.98, $57.99 and $37.99.
A police facts sheet outlined that Forbes had a strained relationship with his grandmother and had not spoken to her for more than a year.
Forbes’ Legal Aid solicitor James Taylor said his client conceded he had breached his bail conditions by being in Bathurst.
He told the court Forbes had come to see a friend before the friend was taken into custody.
Making the bail application, Mr Taylor said while the police facts outlined a partial admission to using the credit cards that belonged to Forbes’ grandmother there had been no admission on the more serious strictly indictable offence of break and enter.
Mr Taylor described the Crown’s case as weak and said there was no evidence tying Forbes to the break and enter, adding that “his detention is not justified”.
Mr Taylor said his client had struggled with drug abuse and had used ice, which ultimately caused him to come to the attention of police. He said Forbes wanted to get into rehabilitation and had contacted various centres and was waiting for a bed to become available.
However, police opposed the bail application, saying Forbes was a risk to the community and the victim.
Weighing up the application, Mr Nicholls refused bail, saying it was only a short adjournment until Forbes would reappear before magistrate Michael Allen.
The matter was adjourned until Monday, May 9 when Forbes will appear in person.
