A man charged with failing to pay for fuel, then driving away while disqualified - twice in two days - was told that one month imprisonment was necessary.
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Jeffery Britton is currently serving a prison sentence for an unrelated matter, with a non-parole period ending February.
At its conclusion he will commence a six-month Community Corrections Order and a further 12 months disqualification. And he was ordered to pay compensation to the two petrol stations for the amounts taken.
At about 3.10pm on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, he drove away without paying for $37.20 worth of fuel from Caltex Mudgee. Then at about 5.20pm the following day, he took fuel to the value of $16.23 from BP Gulgong, both incidents were captured on CCTV.
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The 38-year-old appeared in Mudgee Local Court via Audio-Visual Link on Wednesday. Where he pleaded guilty to two counts each of 'Dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception' and 'Drive motor vehicle during disqualification period'.
His legal-aid solicitor, Toshi Weller-Wong, told the court that his client concedes that it was an "unsophisticated" act, for which he is remorseful and he's organised to repay the money. And added, "on his own instructions, he said he was off his face on drugs".
Magistrate David Day took a dim view of the repetitive nature of the defendant's criminal record, and said these incidents were "aggravated by a history of dishonesty offences".
"Not withstanding the value of the transactions, it demonstrates a pattern of behaviour," he continued.
