SA road rogues revealed — one 21-year-old woman has amassed $153,000 in fines

SHE’S 21 years old, has amassed almost 200 unpaid traffic fines worth $153,000 and refuses to pay — but all the authorities can do is name and shame her. And there are 16 others on the same list.

21yo road rogue has $153,000 in fines

A 21-YEAR-OLD woman is South Australia’s most-wanted fine defaulter and has amassed almost 200 unpaid traffic fines worth $153,000.

But the former Davoren Park resident can continue adding to her debt without facing jail after the State Government conceded there is no provision under law to issue arrest warrants for any driver who refuses to pay an expiation notice.

Beth Louise Jarvis heads the Government’s name-and-shame fine offender list, which has tripled in number to 17 debtors since it was introduced just over a year ago.

Names are publicised by the Fine Enforcement and Recovery Unit if it has failed to hear from a fine defaulter despite making several attempts to contact them.

Ms Jarvis has 191 outstanding fines, for offences such as speeding and running red lights, worth $148,779, and another eight council parking fines worth $4163, for a total debt of $152,942.

Joining her on the fine defaulters list for the first time is businessman Nathan Alan Stewart, 40, who personally owes $45,684, while his companies, NAP Finance and NAP Group, owe a combined $137,643.

From 2002 until 2005, the property developer owned the naming rights for Elizabeth Oval, home of Central District Football Club, and he has twice been fined following convictions under the Corporations Act.

Mr Stewart, who splits his time between Melbourne and his penthouse apartment in the Adelaide CBD, said he was not responsible for “90 per cent’’ of the outstanding fines because he wasn’t the driver at the time and he had tried to organise a debt repayment.

“I’m no angel when it comes to parking and speeding but I’m doing the best I can coming from a Housing Trust home in Elizabeth,’’ Mr Stewart said.

“There’s been no lack of trying from my perspective to get an outcome beneficial to both parties.”

Among the other top debtors is Ali Faraj, who headed the name-and-shame list for at least its first year with $149,928 worth of fines until he was toppled by Ms Jarvis. Faraj, 33, owes money for 12 court-imposed fines, and compensation orders for ripping off customers in unlicensed used-car deals and home renovations.

He is the only member of the first five debtors named less than two yeas ago to not have increased the amount of money owed.

Builder Ali Faraj.

Businessman Nathan Stewart.

Of the others:

LIBERTY Walton, 25, has increased her debt by $10,000 to $125,529;

STEPHEN Parsons, 44, has added $8000 to his original $55,000 debt;

TOM Theodoropoulos, 45, owes an extra $5000 on his original $57,000 debt;

ANDREW Claxton, 33, has increased his $50,000 debt by another $2000.

The Government decided to name and shame our worst fine dodgers as part of a crackdown to recover the millions of dollars owed.

But none of the five offenders who appeared on the list when it first launched on December 29, 2014, has been motivated by their public exposure and they are still on the list more than two years later.

The Attorney-General’s office has told the paper that police cannot issue arrest warrants for those who fail to pay their traffic fines.

Since the fines unit was established in February 2014 it has recovered $200 million in outstanding fines. However, as reported last week in The Advertiser, the total in outstanding fines has jumped by almost $100 million to a record $361 million in that period.

When launching the name-and-shame list, Attorney-General John Rau said it was “unacceptable that so many people are finding ways to beat the system and not pay fines on time’’.

In response to the latest additions to the list, Mr Rau said he was “disappointed in people who break the law and incur fines — particularly if they refuse to pay them”.

“Regrettable as the naming and shaming of people might be, if that’s what it takes to get them to pay fines, then it should be used,’’ he said.

Family First MP Robert Brokenshire said chronic fine dodgers should face tougher penalties. “Those on the name-and-shame list should be put on home detention when not working or put on community service,’’ he said. “Because you would have to say they are playing a game with the government they know they can win.’’

Seventeen people on the “Name and Shame” list owe more than $20,000 in unpaid fines.

THE MAIN OFFENDERS

Name and amount owed

Beth Louise Jarvis $152,943.19

Ali Faraj $149,928.50

Philip James Furner $139,612.72

Liberty Walton $125,529.64

Stephen Kenneth Parsons $63,219.25

Tom Theodoropoulos $62,883.35

Andrew Claxton $52,148.84

Michael Corner $48,983.50

Joshua Forbes $48,510.88

Nathan Alan Paul Stewart $45,684.64

Spyridon Constantinos Giorginis $37,994.50

Benjamin Ronald Buttigieg $34,344.30

Leah Alice Synnerdahl $32,513.35

Jaswinder Singh $25,710.75

Jamie Johnson $26,032.00

Jaspreet Singh Sandhu $24,593.25

Daniel John King $21,821.50

Company Amount owed

NAP Finance Pty Ltd $128,503.00

Marimba Enterprises Pty Ltd $28,733.75

NAP Group Pty Ltd $9,140.80

● Source: Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit. Money owed can include unpaid traffic fines, council parking fines and court penalties

NAME AND SHAME
The Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit can publish the names of individuals and registered companies that have overdue fines.

Names are published at the discretion of the unit’s director.

‘Name and shame” is an enforcement measure adopted after several attempts to contact the outstanding debtor have been made but no payment has been received or payment arrangement set up.

Names are removed from this list within one business day of receiving payment for the amount outstanding or when a payment arrangement is put in place.

Do you know where Beth Louise Jarvis is? Contact our newsroom by emailing [e-mail]