A man will spend no more jail time after his “bizarre” act of publicly urinating on packaged meat at a city center Woolworths.
Lachlan Ebejer, also known as Lochlan James Ebejer, was standing alongside customers at the Sydney Town Hall branch of the supermarket on July 1 when he contaminated raw meat for 28 seconds.
The 22-year-old was already known to Woolworths staff after he was banned from stores nationwide for six months about two weeks earlier for shoplifting in Toongabbie, in western Sydney.
Ebejer had a long history of schizophrenia symptoms that were wrongly thought to stem from his substance abuse disorder, according to a forensic psychiatrist’s report presented to Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court.
On Monday, Judge Michael Allen imposed a sentence and a 12-month community corrections order for urinating in public.
Although such an act should normally merit a severe sentence, that was not appropriate in this case because of Ebejer’s long history of mental illness, he said.
“In my opinion, his chronic schizophrenic illness, his strange behavior at that time… cannot be divorced from consideration of the seriousness of the offence,” the judge said.
A second charge of criminal trespass was resolved without further conviction or penalty.
Lachlan Ebejer has been spared jail for urinating on meat in a city center Woolworths store.
Ebejer is currently serving a sentence for unrelated charges and will be released on parole for those offenses on Dec. 17, the court heard.
The 22-year-old wore a green prison uniform as he watched via audio-visual link from Shortland Correctional Centre, but said little during the hearing.
Legal Aid lawyer Liam McKibbin said Ebejer had been given a high dose of antipsychotics to treat his schizophrenia and would soon start taking medication to deal with his cannabis abuse.
He also had the support of two NDIS carers in the community, the lawyer said.
McKibbin successfully argued that no jail sentence should be imposed, saying the charge of contaminating produce to cause public alarm covered a wide range of conduct that included putting needles in strawberries.
Although the police prosecutor attempted to argue that full-time custody was the only type of sentence available, Judge Allen immediately dismissed it.
CCTV caught Lachlan Ebejer at a Sydney Woolworths CBD after urinating on raw meat
‘What benefit would that bring to the community? How would that address community safety? the judge asked.
Ebejer entered the downtown store shortly before midnight on July 1 and tossed a package of Tim Tam chewy caramel cookies from one aisle to the next before going downstairs to urinate, according to court documents.
After security was alerted, Woolworths staff were forced to cordon off the area, removing the meat and spending eight hours cleaning and sanitizing.
Ebejer immediately left the store but was located by police after the footage and CCTV footage was made public.
The Sadleir man pleaded guilty to one count of contaminating goods with intent to cause public alarm and also trespassing on enclosed land.
A third charge of offensive conduct on closed grounds was withdrawn.
Life line 13 11 14
beyond the blue 1300 22 4636