Named: Motor vehicle thieves who faced northern NSW courts
Hundreds of vehicle thefts occur across the North Coast each year – from the tip of the Tweed south to Coffs. Here are some of those responsible who have faced local courts.
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Hundreds of car thefts occur across the north of NSW each year – from the tip of the Tweed south to Coffs Harbour.
Most motor vehicle thefts occur when crooks manage to get hold of car keys – often by sneaking into homes through unlocked doors and windows, according to NSW Police.
However, increasingly sophisticated methods have emerged, including using devices to copy electronic car key codes.
Only a fraction of those responsible for stealing vehicles are tracked down, charged and brought before the courts Some are juvenile offenders, unable to legally be named.
Here are some of the people who have faced northern NSW courts to be dealt with on car theft charges (and sometimes other illegal endeavours) in recent times.
ROHAN ST LAWRENCE
Rohan St Lawrence of Southgate stole a Hino truck by using a ute to pull a construction site gate from its hinges at Clarence Valley Wreckers on August 27, 2022.
St Lawrence then loaded a demountable building onto the back of the truck and sparked a two-hour police chase through the middle of the town, Grafton Local Court heard on November 8.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of larceny, four counts of trespassing, one count of disqualified driving, four counts of destroying property, stealing a car, and initiating a police pursuit.
The offending was described in court as unsophisticated.
St Lawrence, who had been fighting a long battle with methamphetamines, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
JACOB FERGUSON
Coffs Harbour man Jacob Ferguson stole a ute and crashed the vehicle during a police pursuit while on an ice and cocaine bender, Coffs Harbour Local Court heard on January 11.
Facing court over video link, Ferguson, 22, pleaded guilty to take and drive conveyance without consent of owner, as well as driving recklessly/furiously and driving unlicensed, among other matters.
Ferguson snatched the car from a Scotts Heads address before hitting the highway toward Urunga at speed on November 8 last year, according to court documents.
The owner of the vehicle contacted police and officers took off after Ferguson, who managed to evade them.
However, he lost control of the stolen ute and crashed into a pole and several trees at an intersection, suffering a cut to his head and a shattered tibia, or shin bone.
The stolen car worth $11,000 was not insured and was totalled.
Defence lawyer Jason Hatch conceded the offending was aggravated because Ferguson was on bail and serving a community order for other serious matters.
He said Ferguson’s manner of driving could have been fatal.
“The speeds he was driving at posed a great risk,” Mr Hatch said.
But he told the court Ferguson lost sensation in half of one leg after it was shattered, which served as a “reminder” of his poor decisions.
“He was offence free most of his life and then developed a significant drug addition,” Mr Hatch said.
Magistrate Theresa Hamilton sentenced Ferguson to a 12-month intensive corrections order as an alternative to jail.
TERRANCE WALKER
A Casino man has been locked up on remand after he sped away from police at almost 90kmh over the speed limit in a stolen Toyota HiLux on March 21.
Terrance Charles Gregory Walker, 28, pleaded guilty in Lismore Local Court the next day to receiving property stolen outside of NSW, as well as police pursuit – not stop – drive dangerously, driving a motor vehicle while his licence was suspended
The HiLux stolen in Queensland was the property of The Botha Family Group Pty Ltd at the time.
Walker knew the vehicle was stolen when he took possession of it, court documents state.
Police were told about the ute stolen from Queensland travelling south on Summerland Way at Wiangaree, towards Kyogle, about 2.40pm.
Tracking the ute by GPS, officers took off after Walker as the HiLux hit about 150kmh.
The chase was called off due to safety concerns.
Walker hit speeds of up to 186kmh in a 100kmh one, drove through Casino towards Canaiba and ran across road spikes.
Walker was refused bail by Magistrate Kathy Crittenden and is due to be sentenced on May 8.
JARROD BROWN
Jarrod William Brown nicked a Volvo station wagon and sparked a police pursuit.
He dodged two road spike attempts on the Pacific Highway before he crashed into the back of another vehicle and tried to make a run for it, Ballina Local Court heard on January 13.
The Bellingen man, previously known as Jarrod William Stoaks, was being observed at Coffs Harbour Acute Mental Health Unit at Bungadan Community House on June 2 last year when he took the car with the key in the ignition, according to court documents.
Brown, 45, has pleaded guilty to stealing a car without the consent of the owner and entering into a police pursuit.
Brown was showing signs of a mental health disorder and aggression when he stole the car.
He began overtaking cars at 170kmh in a 110kmh zone at one stage.
Police also state Brown was found with two orange box cutter knives in his pants pocket.
Brown’s sentencing has been adjourned to May 5.
JOSEPHINE MACREADIE
A woman stole an Essential Energy truck at Ballina, planning to offload it in Queensland, before she sparked a police chase, tried to dodge road spikes and crashed the vehicle.
Josephine Terese Macreadie faced Byron Bay Court after the wild chain of events on November 4 last year.
An Essential Energy electrician was working on the nature strip of Treelands Crescent and Moon St in Ballina.
He left the truck unlocked and the keys on the seat, police documents state.
Macreadie hopped into the truck and sped onto the Pacific Highway, heading toward the Bangalow Rd bridge.
Police set up spikes near Yelgun after they spotted the truck speeding north on the highway.
Macreadie spotted the spikes and “veered to the left to avoid them and lost control of the vehicle causing it to crash into the safety barrier,” police documents state.
She provided a fake name and address when she was arrested and told police she intended to sell the truck in Queensland because she needed money.
“Her eyes were watery, her face was flushed and she had ulcers in her mouth,” police wrote.
“She was rocking and very fidgety with her arms and hands.”
Macreadie told police she was on an intensive corrections order “for this sort of thing already”.
Macreadie was sentenced to two years behind bars with a ten-month non-parole period for take and drive conveyance without consent of owner
ZYE SMITH
Zye Smith, 18, was sentenced in Grafton District Court in February on a raft of offences, including stealing four small children’s motorbikes.
Smith stole the vehicles from a Grafton home on November 11 last year, the court heard.
The owner of the bikes then spotted Smith hooning along Armidale Rd and starting filming him.
Police moved in and arrested Smith on November 14.
Smith pleaded guilty to being carried in conveyance taken without consent, causing or permitting use of an unregistered vehicle and unlicensed driving.
Defence lawyer Joshua Craig told the court to consider Smith’s significant background of disadvantage.
The court heard Smith suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by drug and alcohol abuse in his family.
Magistrate Roger Prowse was scathing when he spoke about Smith’s offending.
“You had a pathetic stance of being a hard nut to impress others and yourself,” he said.
Smith was originally sentenced to two years in prison, backdated to November 13, 2022, with a non-parole period of 16 months.
But he successfully overturned that term and was instead due to be released on March 20
Smith was warned to stay out of trouble while serving a 12-month community corrections order.
REILEY JAY AMOS
A Coffs Coast hospitality worker descended into a life of drugs and crime before he stole a car and crashed it on the Pacific Hwy – while his licence was disqualified.
Reiley Jay Amos, 31, faced Coffs Harbour District Court in May 2021 and was slammed by Judge Jonathan Priestley for his “appalling” criminal history.
Amos stole the car from a friend before crashing the vehicle at Halfway Creek on January 21 of that year.
A witness phoned Triple-0 after finding Amos slumped over the wheel of the vehicle, which was wrapped around a pole.
Police tracked down Amos walking about a kilometre north of the crash site.
He was charged with driving while disqualified and taking a conveyance without consent and was ultimately sentenced to 10 months in prison with a non-parole period of six months.
The court heard Amos was struggling with an addiction to the drug ice during his offending.
In the span of three years, Amos had been convicted of assault, possessing a weapon, two police pursuits, drug driving, several counts of driving while disqualified, multiple counts of take and drive conveyance without consent, and driving dangerously.
Amos was arrested in Sapphire Beach in 2019 after he crashed a stolen car into a police dog squad van and injured an officer while fleeing arrest.
STIRLING EGGMOLESSE
Serial car thief Stirling Daniel James Eggmolesse, 22, was sentenced in Lismore District Court after stealing luxury cars and bags from a Northern Rivers home because he couldn’t feed his drug addiction on Centrelink payments.
Eggmolesse faced the court in September, 2021 after raiding a Banora Point, Tweed Shire home with a group on June 19, 2019.
Eggmolesse was identified on CCTV footage due to his distinctive skull tattoo, according to Judge Jeffrey McLennan.
Eggmolesse was the lookout as a group member drove out with a Porsche, then he hopped into a BMW and drove off.
He had never held a licence and was disqualified because of 10 other prior counts of unlawfully possessing a motor vehicle, the court heard.
Eggmolesse told police he “enjoyed the lifestyle” and was “thieving to feed my habit” because Centrelink payments didn’t provide enough income to buy drugs.
Judge Jeffrey McLennan convicted Eggmolesse for aggravated break and enter with intent to commit a serious indictable offence.
He was sentenced to three years in jail.
BRIAN WRIGHT
Brian John Wright was offered a lawnmowing job, a meal and a place to stay – and thanked the elderly man who aided him by stealing his car.
Wright, 33, appeared in Grafton Local Court on July 6, 2020, pleading guilty to stealing the man’s vehicle after mowing his lawn on the afternoon of April 29 of that year.
Police facts tendered to the court stated the victim lived on a remote rural property at Lawrence and was unable to mow his lawn due to a leg injury.
The victim went to Grafton and picked up Wright on the terms that he was going to mow.
Wright, listed as having no fixed residence completed the job and the elderly man offered up a roof over his head for the night.
The victim woke at 7am the next day and found his Mitsubishi Pajero and a phone stolen, which he reported to police.
Wright was spotted by police in the Pajero and fled after noticing their car.
Wright ran into a residence, police entered and found Wright hiding under a blanket in a bedroom. He resisted and was taken into custody.
He pleaded guilty to charges including take and drive conveyance without consent of owner.
Magistrate Michael Dakin sentenced Wright to eight months behind bars, with a non-parole period of six months.
JORDON WHITELOCK
Tweed man Jordon Whitelock, 20, was sentenced in Lismore District Court after driving at more than 200kmh in a stolen vehicle before crashing into another car.
Lismore District Court Judge Jonathan Priestley said while sentencing Whitelock on July 19, 2022 that it was “reprehensible” Whitelock fled after the smash.
The court heard Whitelock had a “depressing” history of stealing when he stole the car and embarked on the chase in April, 2021.
Whitelock tried to steal two motorbikes then sparked a chase when he was seen driving a white Landover suspiciously in the Cudgen area.
Whitelock took off on a high speed as police activated their vehicle’s lights and sirens.
On April 30, Whitelock stole a set of keys to a Mercedes AMG and hit speeds of
However, the height of Whitelock’s offending would occur when he entered the open home of a Kingscliff resident, went inside and stole a set of car keys on April 30.
The court heard Whitelock and co-accused then took the home’s AMG Mercedes and drove at speeds of 200kmh before crashing into another car.
Whitelock was sentenced on a stack of charges including two counts of being carried in a conveyance without the owner’s consent and one count of attempting to steal a motor vehicle.
Judge Priestley acknowledged Whitelock had suffered a brain injury and had a traumatic childhood.
He accepted the majority of Whitelock’s offending was “not planned and largely opportunistic”.
Whitelock was sentenced to an aggregate jail-term of 18-months, backdated to May 20 with a non-parole period of 14 months.
The sentence meant Whitelock was eligible for release.
He was also sentenced to serve a community corrections order for two years, expiring July 18, 2024.
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