Man convicted, ordered to repay stolen TAB winnings
A man from the Lake Macquarie area who stole a TAB voucher and collected the nearly $500 worth of winnings, was convicted in his absence when he failed to appear in Mudgee Local Court.
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Matthew John Owen of Chifley Road, Morisset Park, was charged with 'Dishonestly obtain financial advantage etc by deception' and ordered to pay compensation to the victim.
Throughout the afternoon of Tuesday, July 30, 2019, the victim had been betting at Club Mudgee. At about 6.18pm he scanned a number of tickets and printed out a voucher for his winnings, worth $485.
He was then distracted and briefly left the voucher unattended and Owen - who had been watching him a short distance away - took it and left the premises. The 30-year-old took the voucher to the TAB area at Kelly's Irish Pub and collected the money.
Both locations' CCTV footage captured Owen's actions. With the former's also showing the victim frantically trying to find the voucher.
He reported the matter at Mudgee Police Station the following morning.
Magistrate David Day sentenced the defendant in his absence, noting the need for a conviction "because of his denial to police", upon reading the facts submitted to the court.
Never licensed driver with methamphetamine, cannabis fined
A Lithgow woman stopped driving in Mudgee while unlicensed, who was also in possession of prohibited drugs, was fined a total $1,980.
Jasmina Jeremic of Beynon Street, Lithgow, was stopped by police at about 4.20pm on Tuesday, August 13, 2019.
The 33-year-old was seen driving along Wilbertree Road, Mudgee, from a location known to officers as a drug house.
A search found 0.3g of methamphetamine, which she said was a "cut bag" containing "kitty litter or Epsom Salts".
Along with 16.3g of cannabis. Jeremic told police, "test it, it's got no THCs [sic], it's K2 [synthetic cannabis**]".
During further questioning she admitted she has never held a driver's licence in NSW.
**Synthetic cannabis is illegal in NSW.
Nerves alert police to drug possession
A 28-year-old man charged with two counts of 'Possess prohibited drug' was convicted in his absence and fined a total of $330.
Jamie Parsons of Cohen Street, Mudgee, was stopped by police in order to conduct random breath and drug testing, at about 4.45pm on Friday, August 23, 2019.
And although the tests at Lisbon Road, Mudgee, returned negative results, officers noted in the facts submitted to court that he was "extremely nervous" - shaking so much that he nearly dropped his licence as he handed it over.
He admitted there was "ice" in the glove-box, with 0.38g located, further searching of the vehicle found 0.18g of cannabis in a backpack.
Parsons said the drugs belonged to him and were for his own use.