Heathcote Police Station windows smashed after alleged dispute over P-plate penalty notice

The Heathcote man has been granted bail after the alleged attack on Monday afternoon, but must not come within 50 metres of the station.

Josh Illarietti, 24, was granted bail in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday facing one charge of criminal damage.

The court heard police intercepted Illarietti while he was driving through Heathcote on Sunday night, and he was cautioned for a minor offence.

Senior Constable Dan O'Bree then visited Illarietti’s house at 2pm on Monday to issue him a penalty notice for failing to display P-plates.

The court heard that at 2.15pm, Illarietti went to the police station to confront Senior Constable O’Bree, but the station was unattended.

He found a cinder block from a neighbouring yard and allegedly smashed three windows and the front door of the station, causing $3000 damage.

Leading Senior Constable Lauris Mueck said Illarietti was “very agitated” when he was arrested at 4.30pm.

“He was not agitated at me, but towards Senior Constable O’Bree,” he said.

“In the interview, he told police had O’Bree been at the station when he attended, ‘it would have been on’.

“I took that to be an insinuation of violence between the two. He was angry, making veiled threats that he knew where O’Bree lived.”

Illarietti had also been charged with committing an offence while on bail.

The court heard Illarietti had moved to Heathcote from Melbourne in the last 12 months to live with family to help in his recovery from a serious back injury.

Defence counsel Peter Baker said Illarietti believed he had been “unfairly targeted” by Senior Constable O’Bree, and he was not a significant risk of re-offending.

Mr Baker said there was no dispute that Illarietti committed the damage.

Magistrate Jan Maclean granted conditional bail.

Illarietti will re-appear in court on June 9.