Some cardboard, sticky tape and a touch of artistic flair has landed a Bendigo man in court after he tried to disguise his girlfriend’s car and steal from a Kyneton petrol station.
Bendigo Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday Jack Mansfield used blue cardboard and paint to create a false licence plate in August 2020.
Mansfield then went to the Kyneton Caltex Station, filled his tank with $53 of stolen fuel and drove off.
CCTV footage caught him in the act and the owner of the station said he watched Mansfield leave without paying.
Police added that Mansfield had a disqualified licence from November 2018, after he failed to take a safe drivers test.
The High St Kyneton Caltex petrol station. Picture: Generic/Google Maps
Mansfield told police he attached the false plates “so my girlfriend’s registration wouldn’t be on the drive off”.
His lawyer said the former concreter’s mental health had worsened because of his long-term ice use.
Magistrate Sharon McRae chastised Mansfield, saying his arts-and-crafts project indicated the theft was clearly premeditated.
He pled guilty to the theft charges and was fined $750 with a conviction recorded.
Extracted from Herald Sun