Stephen Michael Bodley: Man drives stolen car into Queensland, later busted with drugs

Teaming up with a teenager to steal a car interstate that he would attempt to drive undetected around a small town and use to hide his drug stash has landed a new dad in hot water. Here’s what happened when he faced court:

A man who decided he would drive a stolen car into Queensland and later use the vehicle to try to get around town undetected and carry his drug stash has only narrowly dodged time behind bars.

Stephen Michael Bodley, 25, and an unnamed teenage accomplice took advantage of a resident in Casino, NSW, parking their Toyota Landcruiser in their driveway with a spare key inside the vehicle, with the victim waking the morning of January 20 to find the car missing.

Stanthorpe Magistrates Court heard the pair then used the car to cross the border into Queensland, with Bodley continuing to drive the stolen vehicle around Stanthorpe for several days following the theft.

Police were then called to a disturbance on White St on January 29, where they found the vehicle parked on the side of the road with number plates that had clearly been altered with permanent marker.

Officers were told Bodley had driven the car to an acquaintance’s home, but the other person had soon found out the vehicle was stolen and threw the car keys into a neighbouring yard.

Bodley soon emerged from the house and asked officers if he could retrieve his belongings from the vehicle, prompting police to search the car and find 5.8g marijuana and water pipes with remnants of the drug.

The former NSW resident initially told police he believed his friend had borrowed the vehicle with permission to enable the pair to get to Stanthorpe and look for employment, but later interviews revealed the true sequence of events along with photos on the other person’s phone of Bodley smoking marijuana using the utensils found in the car.

Defence lawyer Dorothy Switala said Bodley was raised in a violent household and his mother suffered a number of health issues that impacted him throughout his childhood and into adulthood, meaning he largely relied on his sister for support.

She said her client was also now facing a difficult family situation of his own, as the woman he was in an “up and down” relationship with had recently given birth to a child he believed was his but would not allow him to take a paternity test to confirm it.

“He essentially doesn’t have a home, because of the nature of his relationship, and has been struggling to find stable employment,” Ms Switala said.

“He obviously has his life still ahead of him, and in what is a difficult employment market in difficult financial times. He just wants an opportunity to make amends and start afresh.”

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess said that despite Bodley’s original story, buying a permanent marker and using it in a deliberate attempt to disguise the stolen vehicle made it obvious he knew he was doing the wrong thing.

“You certainly showed complete disregard for the rights of another person to have their property,” she said.

Bodley pleaded guilty to one count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, bringing stolen goods into Queensland, possessing dangerous drugs, possessing drug utensils, and using materially altered number plates.

He was sentenced to three months’ jail, wholly suspended for nine months, and fined $500.

Convictions were only recorded for the first two offences.