CRIM’S 25 YEARS ON RUN

A MAN who passed dodgy cheques in Brisbane in 1992 was arrested 25 years after he failed to appear in court thanks to a random traffic stop in Bowen, a court has heard.

Michael Craig Paget, 45, faced Townsville District Court to be sentenced for the historic offences, committed when he was 19. Paget was charged with receiving property obtained in Queensland and nine counts of fraudulent pretences.

The court heard Paget used cheques he knew would bounce to buy televisions, a video recorder, video cassettes, a CD and bed linen around Brisbane.

Crown prosecutor Madalyn Olivero said Paget also attempted to deposit a stolen cheque in a bank account, later attempting to withdraw $ 1000.

Ms Olivero told the court when Paget failed to appear at court in 1993, a warrant was issued, and he was picked up in Bowen last month.

The court heard the receiving property charge related to 40 pairs of jeans stolen from the Levi Strauss store in Kangaroo Point.

Paget was sentenced to 104 days, the time he has already served in custody, 100 days in 1992 and four days after his arrest. Mr Lynham said if anyone with a warrant out against them thought they live in the community without repercussions, they were mistaken.

“Should there be any doubt as to the long arm of the law and why it is that offenders should not fail to appear in the vain hope that they will never have to face court and be dealt with for their offending, you are a very good example that, might I say,” he said.

“All of your offending involves you presenting to various businesses for the payment of goods cheques which clearly were never going to be able to be honoured for the good to be paid, in other words they were dodgy cheques as they might have once been called.

“We now live in an age of credit cards and being able to of pay for goods directly using banking facilities and cheques are a thing of almost a bygone era

“Certainly 1993, as your offending demonstrates, they were a usual method of payment.

“Stores took customers at face value and on trust, when they paid for items using a cheque, they assumed the cheque would be honoured.”