Intellectually disabled accused car thief Ashley Kendall deemed ‘menace to public’ and refused bail
AN accused car thief with a low IQ has lost his bid for freedom, with a Dandenong magistrate saying he would pose too great a risk to the community if granted bail.
Dubbed a “menace to the public”, Ashley Kendall, who has an IQ of 67, appeared yesterday after being remanded for three weeks. The average IQ is 100.
The court heard the intellectually disabled Kendall and his co-accused girlfriend went to an address in Glen Iris on October 23 in a Mazda ute stolen from Mulgrave earlier that month. The pair allegedly tried but failed to steal a motorbike.
They returned the following day, this time allegedly in a stolen Ford econovan, and loaded the bike into that vehicle, leaving the ute behind.
A police investigation claims one of the stolen cars was also used in the burglary of a Chelsea house owned by an 80-year-old woman, who was not home at the time.
Police told the court that Kendall, formerly of Dandenong, was “basically homeless”.
He had already been placed on bail at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court September 24.
Kendall’s defence lawyer said he could live with his father if granted bail and would have to abide by strict conditions, such as a curfew.
He said Kendall had been traumatised after losing his mother at the age of eight and also had a history of depression and self-harm.
Police opposed bail, saying they believed he would continue to steal cars if allowed to walk free.
Magistrate Julie O’Donnell said Kendall was sentenced to more than 230 days in prison in 2015 and had made no effort to comply with his community corrections orders.
“He is certainly a menace to the public,” she said.
“The burglary of the elderly victim in her home in Chelsea … she may not have been there but these matters cause great fear in the community.
“He hasn’t complied with the order and the offences are prolific.”
Kendall will next appear in court on December 13.