A MAN who went to two Warrnambool churches and committed offences has been jailed for 75 days.
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Peter Rotumah, 22, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty in the Koori division of the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to 16 offences of dishonesty.
He has already spent more than 63 days in custody and was strongly encouraged by magistrate Michael Coghlan to re-engage with an existing county court corrections order.
Rotumah Is due to appear in the county court for breaching his CCO.
Defence counsel Amanda Chambers said her client and his girlfriend had been homeless at the time of the offending and had been hooked on ice.
"His limited funds were spent on ice and they were doing whatever they could to eat and live," she said.
Police said that between the end of March and mid May Rotumah and the co-accused stole a range of items from cars.
They went to St Joseph’s Church on May 13 and stole two handbags.
The thefts were caught on security camera footage.
The same day they went to the St Pius X Church and were seen in the kitchen area before breaking into a vehicle in the car park and taking a range of items.
Rotumah said he had broken up with his girlfriend and wanted to go into a rehabilitation centre and then an Aboriginal facility to get off drugs and turn around his life.
The magistrate urged Rotumah that when he was released after finishing his prison term he should restart his corrections order.
"I'm giving you a little bit of rope to help yourself. If you do not re-engage with the corrections order you make it too easy for the county court to impose a prison term," Mr Coghlan said.
"You will not be given continued opportunities if you do not get your act together," he said.