A bowser bandit accused of stealing more than $8,000 worth of fuel across Adelaide used fake number plates to evade capture for almost a year. Police were called to a service station in Angle Vale on the city's northern outskirts on Thursday following reports of a motorist attempting to drive off without paying. Officers spoke to a 51-year-old man allegedly involved at the scene.
'Further investigations subsequently linked him to a series of make-off without payment offences across the northern suburbs and Adelaide Plains,' South Australia Police said in a statement. Police allege the man used three vehicles to steal more than $8,000 worth of fuel at service stations in Virginia, Angle Vale and Lower Light over the past seven months.
Officers later executed a search warrant at the man’s Lewiston home, where they located the vehicles allegedly involved in the petrol run-offs. They included a Kenworth prime mover, Isuzu truck, and Holden sedan, which allegedly displayed unassigned number plates. The vehicles were seized to be forensically examined by police.
The Lewiston man was charged with multiple counts of making off without payment and various traffic offences. He spent the night in custody and will appear in Elizabeth Magistrates' Court on Friday.
