Troy Rule faces Ballarat court for drug possession, Ballan petrol station outburst

A Ballarat man with a longstanding drug addiction fled from police and threw a tantrum at a petrol station, throwing food and drinks at an attendant.

In an outburst at a Ballan petrol station, Sebastopol man Troy Rule flung food and drinks at a worker. Picture: File

A Sebastopol heroin addict “lost his shit” and threw Up&Go drinks at a petrol station worker who switched off his flow of fuel and asked for prepayment.

Troy Rule, 48, faced Ballarat Magistrates’ Court from custody on Wednesday pleading guilty to a string of charges dating from 2022 to 2024.

The court heard that in July 2022, Rule crashed a motorbike in Wendouree and was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital, where nurses found him with an M&M container holding heroin.

In October 2023, police pulled in behind Rule at a Sebastopol petrol station, noticing he was in a car with a stolen number plate.

Rule took off the station despite police turning on their lights and sirens.

In April 2024, police officers found Rule in a parked car on La Trobe St in Melbourne.

Among his possessions were heroin, cannabis, and a folding knife.

Rule was found in possession of heroin on multiple occasions. Picture: File

On another day the same month, Rule entered a petrol station on the Western Highway at Ballan.

As his car had no number plates showing, the station worker stopped the pump midway through Rule using it.

The attendant asked that he pre-pay for the fuel, and Rule entered the station being verbally aggressive.

He threw $15, a tray of food from the front counter, and two Up&Go drinks at the worker.

When he was interviewed by police, Rule said: “I lost my shit.”

In December, Rule was found again in a car, this time at Bakery Hill, with drugs including heroin in his possession.

Magistrate Mike Wardell said Rule did himself “no credit” by his behaviour towards the petrol station worker.

“It worries me that you were in possession of a controlled weapon when you were intercepted on the 12th of April, but outside of that, largely everything that you’re in possession of is harmful to yourself rather than others,” he said.

“ … Sitting in a prison cell isn’t a particularly positive outlook when you’re approaching 50.”

Rule replied: “Yeah, I know that, Your Honour.”

Mr Wardell said Rule was now the “master of his own destiny” despite a past lifestyle that “haunted” him.

Rule was fined $1000, sentenced to five months’ imprisonment with 89 days served, and was disqualified from driving for a year.