Erika Carter tries to stop Latsis as he drives away with her baby. Photo / Seven News
Erika Carter tries to stop Latsis as he drives away with her baby. Photo / Seven News
A meth-using carjacker and baby napper’s bid for home detention has been thrown out as a court was told his extensive history of breaching bail was part of a “reoffending cycle”.
On Friday, Ilias Sammy Latsis, 37, of Para Hills in Adelaide asked the Adelaide Magistrates Court to allow him home detention despite his history of breaching six bail agreements.
Prosecutor Phoebe Foster-Richardson told auxiliary magistrate Alfio Grasso that Latsis had served 10 sentences of imprisonment for similar offending and breached bond and bail conditions.
“The main incriminating factor for Latsis is his use of meth and that is going to be a barrier potentially to him complying with bail now,” Foster-Richardson said.
“The court can’t be confident that on this occasion he’s suddenly going to comply with bail or other court conditions, and (he) has demonstrated a disregard for court orders.
“His reoffending is a cycle of being released from prison and reoffending.”
Erika Carter tries to stop Latsis as he drives away with her baby. Photo / Seven News
In May, Latsis pleaded guilty to abducting a child and to two counts of driving or using a motor vehicle without consent after stealing Erika Carter’s white Honda Jazz.
Her 4-month-old son was in the back seat, as she had quickly run to buy bread at a Klemzig deli.
CCTV footage shows a man getting out of a grey ute before walking over to peer in the window of the Honda.
He then takes his backpack from the ute before getting in the driver’s seat of the Honda and taking off.
The Honda and baby were found safe later that morning.
Since then, Latsis has attempted to change his early guilty plea to not guilty, a matter that is still before the court.
Latsis’s lawyer Heidi Salvemini told Grasso the distance between her and her client, who is in custody in Mt Gambier, was restricting her ability to take instructions.
“The distance restricts his ability to instruct his lawyers effectively and prepare his defence,” Salvemini said.
“He does acknowledge there have been prior breaches in relation to suspended sentence bonds.
Sammy Latsis will remain in custody after his bid for home detention bail was dismissed. Photo / ABC NEWS
“He explained to me that’s as a result of the fact he was in a toxic relationship with his ex-partner at the time, and he kept leaving Adelaide to go to the riverland for breaks, so that’s why he failed to attend multiple times at the department of correctional services.
“He accepts that he has failed drug tests in the past and has had a longstanding methamphetamine addiction.
“He also has a limited ability to rehabilitate while he’s in a custodial setting.”
Grasso refused Latsis bail on his “inability” to comply with prior home detention agreements.
“I refuse bail because of his significant history which has resulted in him being in prison I’m told 10 times since 2014, and looking at his home detention report, he’s indicated an inability to comply with the terms of bonds that have been imposed in the past and previous home detention agreements,” he said.
“The offences are serious enough in circumstances for him to be remanded in custody, for these reasons, and he’s remanded until the day of his next hearing.”
Latsis will appear in court next month to give evidence in an attempt to change his guilty plea.
