Man jailed for stealing cars, petrol

A MAN described by his lawyer as a “follower” was jailed yesterday for stealing two cars and driving off from petrol stations without paying twice.

Jesse James Agius, 20, pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrate Court yesterday to two counts of stealing a vehicle, two counts of fraud and one count of driving unlicensed.

The court heard the keys to two cars were stolen after a burglary in Helensvale about 2am on June 19 last year.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Nick Wang said Agius was seen on CCTV about 40 minutes later fuelling up the stolen silver Hyundai at the Coles service station in Yatala. He drove off without paying for the $73.52.

“At the time he was disqualified from driving for two years,” Sgt Wang said.

Two days later, the second car stolen from the Helensvale home was seen driving off without paying for $50.60 worth of fuel from a Southport service station about 4pm.

Defence lawyer Lisa Searing, of Buckland Allen Criminal Lawyers, said Agius had been caught up in the moment with a group of his friends. “He is a follower,” she said. “Not a lot of thought goes into his actions.”

Ms Searing said Agius was a passenger in the car and not present when keys were stolen.

Magistrate Gary Finger sentenced him to a head sentence of nine months prison.

He gave Agius immediate eligibility for parole after taking into account the 137 days spent in pre-sentence custody.

Mr Finger also disqualified Agius from driving for a further two years.