Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court: Drug-fuelled Peter Collison’s fate decided
A man went on a wild crime spree ripping off businesses across the northeast of the state to fund his drug habit.
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A Wangaratta man fleeced businesses across northeastern Victoria during a months-long crime spree to fuel his raging drug addiction.
Peter Collison, 43, pleaded guilty at the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to a stack of charges, including dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtaining property by deception, and possessing methamphetamine.
Collison, who appeared via video link from Fulham Correctional Centre in Sale, was sentenced to nine months’ jail by Magistrate Ian Watkins, having already served 65 days in pre-sentence detention.
Mr Watkins also cancelled and disqualified Collison’s licence.
Mr Watkins said that Collison had a “high level of moral culpability” as well as an extensive criminal history.
Court documents read to the court showed Collison went to Alpine Motorcycles on Tone Rd in Wangaratta in October he where spent more than $500 using a bank card.
The next day, a co-accused allegedly purchased compressors using the same card from Wangaratta Bearings and Industrial Supplies.
Collison went to the shop the next day and collected items worth $2098.
Police came to the attention of the fraudulent transactions and went to Collison’s property where they found the goods and arrested him.
Collison was also pulled over in a stolen Toyota HiLux on Cruise St in Wangaratta about 5.30pm on October 22, 2022 where police discovered he was driving without a licence, and impounded the vehicle.
Collison said he purchased the Toyota for $3600 in Mansfield, and put his own plates on the car to avoid police detection, the court heard, but Magistrate Watkins dismissed this claim.
Collison was also pulled over on January 31, 2023 in Baddaginnie.
On that occasion, a zip locked bag of crystals, confirmed to be methamphetamine, was found in the vehicle and Collison was arrested.
Collison was pulled over again, this time in a Holden Captiva, on February 8, 2023, for speeding.
He underwent two oral fluid tests and the second one allegedly returned a positive for methamphetamine.
Magistrate Watkins said that methamphetamine was “plaguing” Collison’s life, and had done for a long time.
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