A Wollongong man has admitted to deliberately causing thousands of dollars worth of damage when he smashed three parked cars with a metal pole outside the Homeless Hub on Sunday night.
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The cars belonged to homeless people staying at the accommodation.
Joel Kemp, who was paying rent while staying at the temporary accommodation, fronted Wollongong Local Court on Monday where he was refused bail after being charged with three counts of malicious damage and custody of knife in a public place.
In court, Kemp's defence lawyer Max Staples entered guilty pleas to all charges on behalf of his client, who he said was addicted to drugs.
Magistrate Claire Girotto refused to grant Kemp bail until residential drug rehabilitation accommodation could be arranged.
She said no conditions could mitigate the risk of further offending, noting his lengthy criminal history in Western Australia, and a custodial sentence could be imposed for the malicious damage.
In documents tendered to court, the 35-year-old man was on the footpath outside the Keira Street accommodation about 8.20pm before he crossed the street and picked up a metal bar from a construction site.
Kemp, who was captured on CCTV footage, then walked up to a parked white Mitsubishi Magna and swung the metal bar at the passenger side front and back windows, smashing the glass.
Kemp then approached a white Holden ute parked behind the Magna and swung the metal bar at the passenger side window, smashing the glass, before he walked to the driver's side of the ute and hit the glass.
He repeatedly hit the car before going back to the Magna to again smash the window.
Kemp then went to a white Toyota Corolla parked in front of the Magna and began to hit the windows and body panels with the metal bar.
Kemp returned to the Magna and hit off the passenger side mirror before doing the same to the ute.
The footage showed Kemp continued to vandalise the three cars for several minutes, before police arrived and observed him hit a panel of a car.
Upon seeing the officers, Kemp threw the metal bar into the street and walked towards the entrance of the building.
Police saw Kemp lean down beside a pole and was told to stop before he was arrested.
He was taken to Wollongong Police Station before being transported to Wollongong Hospital for medical treatment.
Officers said Kemp did not give a reason for damaging the cars and it is believed the victims are not known to him.
Officers later found a homemade elongated knife, about 20cm long, in the garden next to where Kemp had knelt down.
The CCTV footage showed Kemp removed the knife from his pocket before kneeling down next to the garden. Officers found and seized the knife.
Kemp was released from hospital and charged.
He is no longer allowed to attend or stay at the Homeless Hub.
Kemp's case was adjourned to Wollongong Local Court for October 6.
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