John ‘Richo’ Douglas Richardson charged over alleged copper wiring theft

Employed as a transport co-ordinator, this trucking industry veteran allegedly used a truck and stole a huge haul of copper wiring from the company which signed his cheque.

A senior employee of a respected South Australian trucking company has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 worth of their property – and he still works as a truckie.

Then, less than two months after he was charged, a last-minute Hail Mary to the courts allowed the man to spend 24 hours in Western Australia performing a career-defining job for national trucking group Primary Connect.

The man, John “Richo” Douglas Richardson, a transport co-ordinator for a major SA trucking company, was in mid-October charged with driving, using or interfering with a truck without the owner’s consent and dishonestly dealing with property without consent.

Court documents show both of those charges related to Mr Richardson’s employer, an Adelaide based major SA trucking company, and the property was copper wiring worth $120,000.

Mr Richardson, 53, was placed on home detention bail on the charges before appearing before the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday where he asked Magistrate Paul Foley to allow him to travel to Perth for a job.

Transport co-ordinator John Richardson is alleged to have stolen $130,000 worth of copper wiring from the company which employed him. Picture: Facebook

A police prosecutor raised concerns about the variation, given the allegations related to a “logistics company”.

“We say that there is a possibility of further offending simply by allowing the travel to occur,” he said.

Mr Richardson, a 35-year veteran of the trucking industry, told the court being able to undertake the job was a “make or break deal” for his career.

He said Primary Connect was a major player in the trucking scene, supplying food and beverages to the mining industry, and him fulfilling the job would be a “fairly big deal for Adelaide”.

“This is the ceiling for my career,” he said.

The variation was granted, allowing Mr Richardson to undertake the less than 24-hour sojourn.

Mr Richardson will next face court in March.

Originally published as John ‘Richo’ Douglas Richardson charged over alleged copper wiring theft