A man will spend no more time in jail after his ‘bizarre’ act of publicly urinating on packaged meat in Woolworths in the city centre.
Lachlan Ebejer, also known as Lochlan James Ebejer, was standing next to customers at the supermarket’s Sydney Town Hall branch on July 1 when he contaminated the raw meat for 28 seconds.
The 22-year-old was already known to Woolworths staff after being handed a six-month ban from entering stores across the country for shoplifting in Toongabbie, western Sydney, about two weeks earlier.
Ebejer had a long history of symptoms of schizophrenia which were wrongly thought to stem from his addiction to substance abuse, according to a forensic psychiatrist’s report filed at Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court.
On Monday, Judge Michael Allen imposed a conviction and a 12-month community corrections order for public urination.
While normally such an act should warrant strict sentencing, it was not appropriate in this case because of Ebejer’s long history of mental illness, he said.
“I am of the opinion that his chronic schizophrenic illness, his bizarre behavior at the time… cannot be separated from the seriousness of the crime,” the judge said.
A second misdemeanor charge was settled without further conviction or punishment.
Lachlan Ebejer has been spared jail for urinating on meat in a downtown Woolworths store.
Ebejer is currently serving a sentence on unrelated charges and will be released on parole for the offenses on December 17, the court heard.
The 22-year-old wore prison greens as he watched via an audiovisual link from Shortland Correctional Center but said little during the hearing.
Legal aid lawyer Liam McKibbin said Ebejer had been given a high dose of antipsychotic medication to treat his schizophrenia and would soon start medication to tackle his cannabis abuse.
He also received support from two NDIS carers in the community, the lawyer said.
Mr McKibbin successfully argued that no prison sentence should be imposed. He said the charge of contaminating goods to cause public alarm covered a wide range of conduct, up to sticking needles in strawberries.
Although the police prosecutor attempted to argue that full custody was the only available punishment, this was immediately halted by Judge Allen.
CCTV captured Lachlan Ebejer in Sydney CBD Woolworths after urinating on raw meat
“What benefit would that bring to the community? How would that improve the safety of the community?’ the judge asked.
Ebejer entered the downtown store just before midnight on July 1 and threw a package of chewy, caramel-like Tim Tam cookies from one aisle to another before going downstairs to urinate, court documents show.
After security was alerted, Woolworth staff were forced to cordon off the area, remove the meat and spend eight hours cleaning and disinfecting.
Ebejer immediately left the store but was located by police after images and CCTV footage were publicly released.
The Sadleir man pleaded guilty to contaminating goods with intent to cause public alarm, as well as unlawfully entering enclosed areas.
A third count of offensive conduct on enclosed property was withdrawn.
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