Vic: Man charged over Vizard break-in faces court

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-2005
Vic: Man charged over Vizard break-in faces court

By Melissa Jenkins

MELBOURNE, Dec 15 AAP - A man accused of breaking into disgraced millionaire businessman
Steve Vizard's mansion has also been charged with stabbing a man during a Melbourne street
robbery almost 14 hours later.

A burglar broke into the former television personality's home in Orrong Road, Toorak,
about 4.30am (AEDT) yesterday.

Vizard's 16-year-old daughter Stephanie alerted her parents after she woke to find
a man in her bedroom.

She said she pretended she was asleep while the intruder was in the room and initially
thought it was one of her brother's friends.

"Then I realised it wasn't, so I just kind of pretended to play dead and then just
waited until I heard the gate click," she said.

Stephanie Vizard labelled her father "an action hero" after he chased and tackled the intruder.

The intruder eventually escaped through the back gate of the millionaire's home.

Richard Lovett, 27, of Collingwood, who appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court
today charged with trespass and stealing five notebook computers from the Vizard home,
worth $10,000 according to documents tendered to the court.

Lovett faced five other charges over an unrelated stabbing in Harmsworth Street, Collingwood,
about 6pm yesterday, including intentionally causing serious injury, armed robbery and
affray.

Lovett allegedly stole a backpack and clothing from one man and a gold necklace from
another man while armed with a 20 cm long knife.

During his brief court appearance today Lovett hid behind the dock.

He did not apply for bail and Magistrate Ian McGrane remanded him in custody to reappear
in the same court on March 8 next year.

In July, the Federal Court banned Vizard from directing companies for 10 years and
fined him $390,000 over a series of improper share dealings while he was a Telstra director.

Vizard, 49, has admitted misusing his position as a Telstra director by using confidential
information to trade $850,000 in shares.

AAP mj/ce/cjh/sd

KEYWORD: LOVETT NIGHTLEAD

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