Sala Pe’a: Extradited Queenslander alleged to have stolen Nokia 5110 in 2003

A man who allegedly skipped court in NSW in 2003 has been brought back to face robbery charges including the theft of a Nokia 5110.

A man on the run from police for almost two decades has faced Burwood Court today, in relation to an robbery in a southwest Sydney service station in August 2003.

Sala Pe’a, 38, was arrested on March 14 and extradited from Queensland to face charges in NSW, including robbery in company, and allegedly failing to appear in court in December 2003.

Police allege Pe’a stole a Nokia 5110 mobile phone, two pairs of sunglasses, and $500 from a victim at the Ampol Service Station in Lakemba.

A sum of $500 in 2003 equals to $756.33 when adjusted for inflation.

Pe’a, who was 19 at the time of the alleged robbery, is now a father of six.

The case was adjourned in Burwood Court today, and Pe’a is scheduled to reappear on April 27.

The warrant was originally issued after Pe’a allegedly failed to appear in Burwood court on December 10, 2003.

Police conducted several inquiries across the following years but were unable to locate Pe’a, with information leading police to believe he had fled interstate.

Late last month officers from Campsie Police Area Command received information Pe’a was living in Coomera, Queensland.

Following extensive inquiries by detectives, he was arrested at a home in Coomera by Queensland Police, facing Tweed Heads Local Court before being extradited to NSW.

Pe’a’s arrest and extradition was part of Operation Persistence, which was launched in January by State Intelligence Command with officers across Sydney’s southwest to target individuals wanted on outstanding warrants between March 12 and 18.