Luke Darby Cranston charged with stealing rural fire truck at Sarina

The case against a young man accused of destroying a rural fire truck worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has been pushed back. Here’s why.

Luke Darby Cranston, 22, is facing a raft of charges including the break and enter and theft of an Isuzu NPS 3007 fire truck and Nissan Patrol rural fire vehicle.

The case against an Ilbilbie man accused of destroying a rural fire truck worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has been pushed back as the damage total remains undetermined.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard the “worst case scenario” put the value amount at $350,000, however it could also be between $250,000 to $275,000.

If the higher value prosecutor Sheena Gravina said the case may need to be determined in the district court, which defence solicitor Aaron Sellentin said he would oppose.

Luke Darby Cranston, 22, is facing a raft of charges including the break and enter and theft of an Isuzu NPS 3007 fire truck and Nissan Patrol rural fire vehicle.

It is alleged Cranston broke into the Sarina Marlborough Rural Fire Brigade on Tara Creek Rd on October 31 and the Victoria Plains Rural Fire Brigade on Victoria Plains Rd on November 4.

Police raided a Sarina home on November 5 where officers seized emergency lights allegedly from the Isuzu truck hidden at the Keilbach Ct property.

A rural fire brigade truck like the one allegedly stolen and destroyed by Luke Darby Cranston.

Officers later went to an unoccupied property on Marlborough Sarina Rd at Sarina Range, south of Mackay, where it is alleged they found the stolen truck covered by a tarpaulin.

Police allege the dashboard and parts of the truck were extensively damaged and the body of the vehicle was painted with white house paint.

The court heard it has been indicated the matter will be finalised by pleas of guilty but there is still an argument regarding the restitution amount.

Ms Gravino said the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service might be able to mitigate some of the loss by selling off parts of the fire truck – she asked for an adjournment so that amount could be determined.

The court heard this was being handled by the QFES and was currently at arbitration with the insurer.

Mr Sellentin on behalf of Cranston, who was granted bail in January 2024, agreed to the adjournment but asked for court-ordered directions to move the matter on, submitting that “police have not done their job … prosecution hasn’t followed up”.

Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said it was out of QPS control because the QFES had carriage of the it and until there was a damage amount the case “can’t proceed to sentence because I don’t know the criminality of what he’s done”.

Matters were adjourned for mention in late May.