Cameron Jeffery Dowel: repeat offender told to “stop ripping people off”
A tradie with a history of ripping people off has fronted court again for failing to install a roller door despite being paid to do so. Here’s what he’s been fined with.
Police & Courts
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A tradie who failed to install a roller door despite pocketing a deposit has been told by a judge to “stop ripping people off”, a court has heard.
Cameron Jeffery Dowel pleaded guilty to a fresh charge of accepting payment and failing to supply goods or services within a reasonable time at his sentencing at Southport Magistrates Court on Friday.
The court heard Dowel agreed in April, last year, to install a motorised roller door to a newly-constructed carport at a Pacific Pines property for $1560. Despite being paid $1060 and arranging to install the roller door on multiple occasions, Dowel failed to do so.
On top of seeking $1060 compensation, Office of Fair Trading prosecutor Robert Vize was also seeking compensation for another consumer and asked the court to order a non-party compensation of $14,427.50.
Mr Vize said the compensation, which Dowel had consented to, was for a different consumer but same type of offending.
He mentioned Dowel’s criminal history consisted of eight offences from 2020 to 2023 where he was fined a total of $100,000 and ordered to pay compensation of $62,472.
Representing himself in court, Dowel said he had a mental health issue, lived in his car and had been paying off fines courtesy of a benefit.
Magistrate Pamela Dowse asked him why he didn’t return the money.
“Just a bad break-up in my family,” he said. “I can’t get a job anymore. I can’t get anything.”
Ms Dowse asked why he would continue to take money off people and not fulfil his obligations.
“Well that’s what I try to do but I just … wake up in the morning and I don’t want to go,” he said.
Ms Dowse said that Dowel had a dreadful history with the Office of Fair Trading and it was absolutely despicable behaviour.
“Please stop ripping people off,” she said.
Ms Dowse convicted and fined Dowel $5000, and ordered him to pay compensation of
$1060 to the man who he promised the roller door installation and $14,427.50 to the non party consumer.
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