Terminally-ill grandfather charged for taking items left for council collection
A terminally ill grandfather will spend his dying days fighting theft and trespass charges after he was caught taking items left out for council rubbish collection.
Mulgrave man Jugoslav Savic took a rotting window frame and scrap metal from a pile of rubbish on a nature strip, around the corner from his home.
A neighbour called police when they saw Mr Savic take the window frame. They took photos of him outside the property as he loaded the materials into his car.
The items are valued at just $50 and he said he returned them to the rubbish pile immediately, but Victoria Police won't drop the charges.
The pancreatic cancer patient has been forced to front court after police refused to show him mercy, and his final few months are being spent in trying to clear his name.
The 61-year-old and his family are devastated he's been charged with theft and trespassing.
He said he had no idea it was illegal to take hard rubbish.
“I’m not planning to go in a grave with charges like that,” Mr Savic told 7 News.
“I never heard of it before and that’s why I want to clear it clear my name.”
His lawyer Brian Burton said his client believed the window frame was outside the property and he considered the item to be rubbish.
Mr Savic is fighting the trespassing charges, claiming he was never on the neighbour's private property.
His son Alex said the ordeal has been difficult for his father, saying: “He's been really stressed on the whole situation.”
Mr Savic will have to spend another of his precious final days in court, with a date set for November.
