Ballarat speedway racer Campbell Hughes jailed for $320,000 diesel truck part theft racket

A Ballarat carpenter who competed as a national championship speedway racer has pulled off a $320,000 truck part heist.

Campbell Hughes has pleaded guilty to 47 theft charges. Picture: Facebook

A Ballarat carpenter who left a hefty repair bill, rendered dozens of trucks useless and disturbed multiple businesses after a month-long crime spree has been jailed.

Campbell Hughes, 43, was sentenced in the County Court on Wednesday to a minimum two-year jail term after pleading guilty to 47 charges of theft.

Hughes, who also pleaded guilty to commit indictable offence on bail and drug possession, was unemployed and living in Melton during his $320,000 heist racket.

Hughes, a speedway racer who competed in the Victorian AMCA Nationals state championships, stole diesel particulate diffusers (DPDs) from 60 trucks between April and May last year.

The court heard Hughes stockpiled the valuable platinum laden DPDs before fencing the parts for cash at various Melbourne scrapyards.

The prosecution submitted Hughes’ combined diesel particulate diffuser heist was worth “approximately” $320,000.

The court heard Hughes left his victims with an unknown repair bill while also disrupting business during his reign of destruction.

Owners must replace the part before their trucks can legally travel on Victorian roads, the court was told.

Hughes targeted trucks at or near businesses scattered through Melbourne’s west and northwest including at Derrimut and Tarneit.

The trucks were of multiple makes and ages and at least one DPD was worth $14,000, the court heard.

The master thief used his mechanical acumen and specialist tools including reciprocating saws to remove the part from the trucks.

Hughes’ caper brought police heat after investigators detected a pattern following multiple theft reports.

“You’d imagine sooner or later someone would wake up,” Judge Michael McInerney said during an earlier court hearing.

Police intercepted Hughes driving through Altona North with meth and a DPD in his vehicle in May last year.

Hughes collected his car and stole a number plate the next day.

The meth-addled crook then headed to a large Brooklyn building site where he rorted DPDs from multiple trucks.

“He’s been picked up by police … and then he continues on his merry way (stealing DPDs) the next morning,” Judge McInerney said.

Covert police observed Hughes ripping DPDs from trucks at Campbellfield later that month.

Hughes, who was linked to the racket via his mobile phone, was arrested in Campbellfield on May 31.

Police searched his vehicle and discovered tools, rego plates, meth and five DPDs.

The court heard Hughes was a former speedway racer who once held a $100,000 a year job but fell on hard times after he and his ex-wife hit the drugs hard.

Hughes, a father, now lives in Wendouree and is employed as a carpenter.

“This is outrageous offending as far as I’m concerned,” Judge McInerney said.

“Here’s a man who says he a carpenter who goes through at night, late at night, ripping off people who carrying out businesses … causing what must be untold disturbances to businesses in a spree where he’s doing it for money, no doubt to get drugs.”

Hughes, who has spent 235 days on remand, was jailed for a maximum three years and six months.

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