AUSTRALIA COMPUTER THIEVES APPREHENDEDTrio avoid jail for computer thefts - National - theage.com.auTrio avoid jail for computer thefts
By Daniella Miletic
June 23, 2005

Three computer thieves who stole notebook computers worth more than $120,000 from Wesley College have avoided jail terms.

Rahavo Leviev, Leonid Poel and Stephen Panourakis, all aged 20, stole seven notebooks worth more than $20,000 from Wesley College's Elsternwick campus on July 14 last year. Afterwards, they drove to Wesley's St Kilda Road campus and stole 34 notebooks valued at $99,000. They broke into 99 lockers, stealing musical instruments and cash.

The next day police went to the media with images of the trio, which prompted the offenders to dump the stolen goods outside a swimming pool in Carnegie.

Leviev, of St Kilda, Poel, of North Caulfield, and Panourakis, of Black Rock, had pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, one count of burglary and two counts of property damage. Panourakis also pleaded guilty to two additional counts of burglary and four counts of theft over two other burglaries. Fingerprints from the two campuses led police to investigate Panourakis over two previous burglaries.

Panourakis was also convicted and sentenced to a 12-month jail term that was wholly suspended for two years.

Judge Nicholson said students and staff at Wesley College were significantly inconvenienced by the thefts.

Students also expressed feelings of their privacy being invaded and the school had been forced to hire a night security officer as a result of the men's offences, she said.