Michael Gordon Foster jailed for flood theft, leaving ex-girlfriend with permanent brain damage

A Northern Rivers man who rescued flood victims but then stole whitegoods from a business hit by the disaster has also been called to account for a crash which left his former girlfriend with brain damage.

Michael Gordon Foster outside Lismore Court on Wednesday October 25.

A Northern Rivers cabinet-maker’s sorry tale in the wake of last year’s catastrophic floods has played out in court - along with a crash which left his former girlfriend with permanent brain damage.

Michael Gordon Foster, 39, appeared before Magistrate Michael Dakin in Lismore Local Court on Wednesday.

The Goonellabah man pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, using an unregistered vehicle on the road, using an uninsured car on the road, and four counts of driving with an illicit drug present in his blood – second offence.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited drug (cocaine and marijuana), larceny value more than $15,000, and dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.

During the 2022 flood clean-up, the court heard Foster stole whitegoods from Warrior Refrigeration in Snow St, South Lismore.

Snow St, South Lismore.

Magistrate Dakin told the court items started going missing from March 4.

The court heard Foster used his dad’s white Mazda to tow a trailer and load four fridges worth $9056.

Foster was caught on camera red-handed, the court heard.

Police executed a search warrant on his Goonellabah home on August 22 and seized one refrigerator, three pressure washers, one Wacker Packer, and small amounts of cocaine and marijuana.

Defence solicitor Paul Cranney said Foster’s criminal record dates back to 1998 and was mostly made up of a “really bad drug history”.

Foster had begun a carpentry start-up in Lismore, but it was destroyed in the 2022 floods.

Mr Cranney told the court Foster spent three days rescuing people in a tinny during the disaster.

“It’s hard to appreciate his role as a flood saviour when this matter is before the court,” Mr Cranney said.

Mr Dakin said it was “callous” that Foster would steal from a flood smashed business after the offender had just lost his own.

Foster was found in possession of small quantities of cocaine and cannabis. Picture: iStock

Mr Cranney said Foster was “on the precipice of a change” but was “quite self-destructive”.

The court also heard Foster had caused his ex-girlfriend a permanent traumatic brain injury on January 17 last year after he crashed an ATV into a wooden post near Bentley.

Foster and the woman were aboard an unregistered “all-terrain vehicle” that had no seat belts and was not meant for passengers, the court heard.

He rode the vehicle with his partner on his back, knowing she shouldn’t be there and her helmet was not fitted properly.

The victim received a traumatic brain injury, fractured cheekbone and eye socket and permanent loss of hearing in her right ear.

She was “screaming in pain” immediately after the crash, the court heard, before being flown to Brisbane Hospital and put into a medically induced coma for 10 days, due to life threatening injuries.

“He was driving crazy … swerving all over the place,” the victim said at a later stage.

Mr Dakin convicted Foster, sentencing him to one year and 10 months in prison with a non-parole period of 16 months.

Foster will be eligible for parole on September 12, 2024.