Card paid for thief’s lifestyle

A WANTED man bought KFC, fuel, bikes and nights at a five-star retreat during a threeday spending spree with a stolen bank card.

Coby Winkler, 29, pleaded guilty in the Tweed Heads Local Court this week to eight charges of obtaining property by deception, break and enter and possessing stolen property.

He was sentenced to 12 months in jail and will be eligible for parole on January 1 after already spending five months in prison.

Court documents reveal Winkler splurged on shoes, KFC, fuel, tyres, snacks, a bicycle and three nights in a fivestar retreat with someone else’s bank card.

“(Winkler) has been actively avoiding police since January 2018 (since he was granted bail for attempted robbery),” the court documents state.

In April, Winkler took a new bank card issued to a Tweed Hinterland resident and spent thousands of dollars.

He bought two pairs of shoes at City Beach surf store in Lismore on April 5. The same day he spent $32.34 on food and drink at Caltex in Murwillumbah.

On April 6, he bought tyres from a shop at Tweed Heads, paying $85 and $90 in two transactions. About 3.30pm that day he and his co-accused spent $57.85 at the KFC drivethru at Murwillumbah.

They also used the card to book a room for three nights at the five-star Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat west of Murwillumbah, which cost $1500.

The next day they ordered two mountain bikes online from a Burleigh Heads cycling shop costing $1400.

“A few days later (they) have attended the store to collect the two bikes,” the police facts read. “They have been refused by staff at the store due to not providing sufficient identification.”