A MAN who tried to fight a bank's repossession of his home ended up in jail with "murderers, rapists and drug dealers".

Melbourne business man Derek Balogh was held in one of Victoria's maximum security prisons for refusing to give up his house despite a court order.

And his mother died of cancer the day before he was released.

Mr Balogh is one of 50 Victorians each week who are hit with repossession notices because they cannot pay their mortgages.

Legal experts have warned more home loan defaulters who refuse court orders to give up their homes will be found guilty of contempt of court and jailed.

Mr Balogh, who is a mortgage adviser, said he had been treated as a criminal "when I was only trying to save my house".

Mr Balogh admitted he failed to respond to the Commonwealth Bank's legal action and court orders.

But he said he did not deserve to be jailed in Port Phillip Prison last month.

Mr Balogh said his mother, who lived in Sydney, died while he was in jail. Sharing a cell with a "drug pusher", Mr Balogh was unaware his elderly mother's health had taken a sudden decline.

His family sent hospital letters to the prison explaining his mother had days to live.

Mr Balogh was released a day earlier than his 14-day sentence, but his mother had died the previous day.

He said he was a former secretary of the Cairnlea Residents Association whose only "record" was a speeding fine.

Mr Balogh said he had fallen behind in repayments because of problems with a business associate and a former personal partner.

"I was putting money into a joint account and believed the mortgage was being paid, but it wasn't," he said.

He said that as an accredited mortgage consultant who had saved other people's homes from repossession, he should have handled his affairs differently.

"I hope that customers realise I personally know how difficult things can be," he said.

Supreme Court documents show that in September, 2006, Mr Balogh was $2771 in arrears and owed $314,000.

He now owes about $340,000 with interest of about $100 a day.

His house in the western suburb of Cairnlea is due to be auctioned in June.

A bank spokesman said Mr Balogh had been given a "substantial amount of time" since 2006 to get his home loan in order or leave the house.

Steve Medcraft of People Against Lenient Sentencing said: "People under financial stress are being jailed to let pedophiles and drug pushers walk the streets."

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