Man’s ‘vigilante behaviour’
Concreter armed himself with baseball bat after home burgled
A Norlane concreter armed with a baseball bat took the law into his own hands and then later confessed to undercover police.
Jordan Burojevic, 32, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including common law assault and criminal damage in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Burojevic’s home was allegedly broken into on August 14, 2021 and about $4000 worth of car parts and tools stolen.
Burojevic, who now lives in Macarthur, reported the incident to police and made further independent inquiries on his own, and was given the name of a Corio man.
Police prosecutor Nicole Fedyszyn said Burojevic went to the victim’s home on August 15, 2021 just after 9am and confronted him with a baseball bat. The court was told the man denied any involvement with the incident.
Burojevic then swung the bat at the victim, narrowly missing his head as the victim fled inside his home.
“The accused attempted to grab a hold of the front door as the victim closed it behind him,” Ms Fedyszyn said.
“He then used the baseball (bat) to smash the glass window to the right side of the front door of the address.”
Burojevic left the victim’s home and returned later that day just after 12.30pm with another associate and waited for the victim to return.
Armed with a baseball bat, Burojevic yelled at the occupants of the home demanding the victim come outside. Burojevic then smashed a letterbox and glass windows of a car in the driveway of the address.
On September 7, 2021, police undertook a search warrant at his address in relation to another incident and uncovered 26 grams of cannabis.
In an interview with police, Burojevic admitted to smoking and cultivating cannabis. Ms Fedyszyn said police could not find any evidence that the victim was responsible for the burglary at his home and described the offending as “vigilante behaviour”.
After the interview Burojevic was placed in the cells in the police station with two undercover operatives and confessed his crimes to them.
“I went around to that house and smashed it up,”
Burojevic said.
Burojevic’s lawyer Jim McGarvie said his client’s actions arose as a result of “impulsivity”.
“This is serious, but in terms of the ultimate result, while it’s confrontational, it would have been frightening for the complainant, it does only result in $980 worth of damage,” Mr McGarvie said.
Magistrate Simon Guthrie adjourned sentencing to a later date but ordered Burojevic to see if he would be suitable for a corrections order.