Peter Collison in Wangaratta court over drug, fraud charges

A Wangaratta man allegedly tried to hide a stolen Toyota by using his own number plates while ripping off businesses across the northeast of the state.

Peter Collison fronted the Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

A Wangaratta man has allegedly been traipsing about the northeastern part of the state buying goods on a bogus bank card and using his own number plate on a stolen car to fool police.

Peter Collison, 43, appeared at the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Thursday on 23 charges including dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtaining property by deception and possessing methamphetamine.

Court documents read out by the prosecutor said Collison went to Alpine Motorcycles on Tone Rd in Wangaratta and allegedly spent more than $500 on a bank card in October last year.

The next day, a co-accused allegedly purchased compressors on the same card from Wangaratta Bearings and Industrial Supplies.

Mr Collison attended the shop the next day and allegedly collected the items worth $2089.

Police were aware of the allegedly fraudulent transactions and went to Mr Collison’s Burke St address, found the alleged items and arrested him.

Mr Collison was arrested at his Burke St home in Wangaratta on November 18, 2022. Picture: Supplied

On another occasion, it’s alleged Mr Collison was pulled over in a stolen Toyota HiLux on Cruise St in Wangaratta about 5.30am on October 22, where police discovered he was unlicensed and impounded the vehicle.

Mr Collison was also allegedly caught driving the stolen car on December 22.

He had allegedly purchased the Toyota for $3600 from Mansfield and put his own plates on the car to avoid police detection, the court heard.

He was also pulled over in Baddaginnie on January 31 this year.

Police allege a ziplock bag of crystals, confirmed to be methamphetamine, was found in the vehicle and Mr Collison was arrested.

It’s also alleged that police pulled over Mr Collison in a Holden Captiva who was driving at a fast rate of speed on O’Leary St just after 7pm on February 8.

He underwent two oral fluid tests and the second one allegedly returned a positive for methamphetamine.

Collison was remanded to appear at the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court later this month.