Ben William Hall pleads guilty at the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court
An eagle-eyed water worker has busted a Rochester farmer who had set up a pipe to steal from Goulburn Murray Water to fill his paddocks.
Goulburn Valley
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A former truckie has been sprung for pinching water which he piped into his paddocks after raising the suspicions of an eagle-eyed water worker.
Ben William Hall, 28, pleaded guilty to destroy/damage/alter an interface property at the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Hall — who is in custody — damaged a water channel and stole water from the Goulburn-Murray Water organisation to use on his Rochester farm.
On March 22 last year, a Goulburn Murray Water officer went to Hall’s farm and noticed a 18mm that was being used to fill paddocks.
The court heard the officer noticed water was travelling on the “full length” of the on-farm channel and the water taken at the time was “unauthorised”.
According to Goulburn-Murray Water and the Water Act 1989, a person must not take or use water without consent or they are committing an offence and breaching the act.
Hall was fined $2073 and remanded into custody on May 14 last year.
He also had driving matters that were being heard in the County Court of Victoria, the court heard.
The court heard Hall had paid back the amount of water he owed.
Hall also had “anxiety” while he was in custody due to Rochester being “badly flooded” last year.
“Water is a valuable resource and there’s limited supply,” Magistrate Peter Dunn told Hall.
“Whatever you take, someone is paying good money for it to get it.”
Hall was convicted and fined $3500 and will receive a letter from Fines Victoria.
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