Fuel thief convicted and fined

A BOWEN magistrate has labelled a woman who drove off in her Jeep without paying for fuel twice in a few days a “thief”.

Deanna Marie Stocks fuelled up at a service station on the Peak Downs Highway on September 27 last year, putting $105.50 worth of petrol in her car.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Sarah Rowe told Bowen Magistrates Court last week that Stocks then tried to pay for the fuel three times at the servo, but her card was dec clined.

S t o c k s told the attendant she was going to get cash from her car, but instead she d drove off. S Sen-constable C bl Rowe said a few days later, on September 30, Stocks put $80.13 worth of fuel from a Bowen Caltex in the Jeep and that time she just drove off without making any effort to pay.

Stocks was caught on CCTV and police caught up with her on November 14.

Sen-constable Rowe said before being put in the police vehicle, Stocks was found with a meth pipe in her possession.

Stocks pleaded guilty to unauthorised dealing with shop goods and possessing utensils or pipes.

The 35-year-old woman told the court she thought she had money the first time on the Peak Downs Highway, but was mistaken.

“The second time I just wanted to get home. I was just embarrassed,” Stocks said.

“I do not really have an excuse for what I did.”

Stocks said she was living in Collinsville and nursing an injured foot but planned to return to Rockhampton when it had healed.

Magistrate James Morton called Stocks a “thief” and asked how she thought she would get away with the crimes.

Mr Morton noted Stocks had been caught with a pipe before and fronted court in Emerald not long ago.

Stocks was fined a total of $1450 and ordered to pay back the money she owed the service stations.

Convictions were recorded.

WITH no international students and domestic demand for pilots nosediving, flight training schools are struggling to survive until borders reopen.

Already three major flight training academies have called in receivers, including Soar Aviation, China Southern West Australian Flying College and L3 Harris commercial aviation.

And the future for at least two other large schools is becoming more uncertain.

Flight Training Adelaide CEO Pine Pienaar said he had already let 25 per cent of his staff go, and farewelled another 28 people last Monday.

“I had 450 students in the college in March last year,” he said. “As of this coming Monday I’ve got 15.”

CAE Oxford Aviation Academy in Melbourne was also facing a massive challenge, with staff cut from 165 to 85. General manager Michael Drinkall said the number of flight instructors had gone from 70 to 34 and their Tamworth base had closed. “It’s like being on the downward section of a rollercoaster,” he said.