Amanda Marie Watson: Lismore woman sentenced for fuel drive offs

The life of a gifted Lismore athlete has descended into crime amid the grip of a meth addiction, a court has heard.

A gifted track and field athlete who once held hopes of representing her country before falling into meth addiction has been given a fresh chance by a Lismore magistrate.

Lismore woman Amanda Marie Watson, 44, appeared before Lismore Local Court via videolink on Tuesday to be sentenced on eight counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

She was also sentenced for five driving while disqualified charges, resisting an officer, driving with meth in her system and refusing to provide an oral fluid sample.

The court heard the fraud charges related to small and repeated fuel drive-offs from July to September last year.

According to court documents, Watson targeted service stations from Bangalow, Ballina and Tyagarah, where she would take unleaded petrol and drive off without paying.

On one occasion, a Bangalow staff member told Watson “Are you going to pay for that fuel? You have done this before too, you are not welcome here”.

Court documents revealed Watson told the staff member she would pay but drove off when a truck blocked their view of her.

The court heard Watson committed repeated fuel drive offs throughout the North Coast. Photo: Trevor Veale / The Coffs Coast Advocate

She was later arrested on September 20 when she was randomly tested and returned a positive result to methylamphetamine.

Over the course of offending, she ran up a total of $127.45 in fuel stolen from the four different servos.

Solicitor Philip Crick said Watson had fallen on hard times and struggled with homelessness after she broke up with her husband.

“The petrol runs are essentially very small amounts, it’s not that she’s filling the car up,” he said

“It’s really motivated by desperation rather than any greed.”

He said prior to her sad descent Watson had been athletically and mentally high functioning.

Magistrate Michael Dakin said Watson was a gifted international athlete prior to her offending and drug spiral.

“Effectively through her own volition, she’s very nearly lost everything” he said, causing Watson to break into tears.

“Has lost everything,” Mr Crick added.

Mr Crick asked for Watson’s 103 days in pre-sentence custody to be taken into account.

Mr Dakin said her sudden departure from diversionary program Miruma, due to allegations Watson was assaulted, reduced her prospects of not reoffending.

Nonetheless, he took into account the factors that led her before the court, including her “regrettable” downward spiral into a world of “drug use and drug dependence”.

“(She) at one time was offered to represent her country in track and field but was prevented from doing that due to injury and became addicted to very strong pain medication,” he said.

He opted to give Watson “a chance”, noting a return to court could result in her being jailed.

Mr Dakin convicted Watson on all counts and sentenced her to a two year community corrections order.

She was also disqualified from driving.