Todd Payne pleads guilty to drug offences in Hervey Bay

A sawmill worker with no criminal history soon found himself in strife when he committed a series of offences after he became homeless during Covid.

Todd Payne, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts failing to appear, driving without a licence, receiving tainted property, possessing drug utensils, attempted fraud and multiple counts of possessing dangerous drugs when he faced Hervey Bay Magistrates Court.

A sawmill worker who found himself homeless during Covid committed a string of drug offences before making the situation worse by failing to appear in court.

Todd Payne, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts failing to appear in court, two counts of driving without a licence, receiving tainted property, possessing drug utensils, attempted fraud and multiple counts of possessing dangerous drugs when he faced Hervey Bay Magistrates Court.

The court heard on June 21, 2022, about 4pm, police saw a white Holden ute enter a service station at Nudgee Rd, Banyo.

The ute parked away from the bowsers and police saw a male person rummaging around the in vehicle.

Checks showed he did not hold a licence.

He told police he had driven from the Gold Coast and was driving to Hervey Bay for work.

He consented to a search of his vehicle, the court heard.

The police found a clipseal bag with a white crystal substance understood to be meth, green leafy material believed to be cannabis and a glass pipe when a backpack was searched.

Then, in relation to charges in August 22, 2022, police were doing patrols and stopped Payne at Morayfield.

A search was carried out on his vehicle and green leafy material was found in the vehicle.

Payne admitted to the officers he had never held a drivers licence, the court was told.

In relation to the charge of receiving tainted property, Payne had attended the Bay Central Tavern to meet a man who owed him some money, the court heard.

He had been given a Gucci watch and a Philip Stein watch, and Payne was told to use them to use them to recoup the money.

When he went to Cash Converters, he was told by staff they could not process the transaction that day.

Police were contacted when he returned to Cash Converters where Payne “provided a version in relation to a deceased family member”.

Todd Payne, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts failing to appear in court, two counts of driving without a licence, receiving tainted property, possessing drug utensils, attempted fraud and multiple counts of possessing dangerous drugs when he faced Hervey Bay Magistrates Court.

On June 22, 2025, Howard police were called to a camping ground area, and checks showed Payne was wanted in regard to two outstanding warrants.

There was no traffic or criminal history to allege, the court heard.

Duty lawyer Virginia Ukpabi said most of the offending dated back to 2022.

Payne had relocated back to Victoria for a time, she said, to get away from some bad influences that led to the offences before the court.

She said he came from a good background and had worked in construction and spray painting most of his life.

Payne had been living on the Gold Coast during Covid when he lost his job and could not afford rent.

He found himself homeless, living under a stairwell.

Payne had reached out to a friend in Hervey Bay, Ms Ukpabi said, who offered him a place to stay, but a friend he made while living rough followed him to the area.

She was a heavy drug user, Ms Ukpabi said, and had offered him the items to pawn, but he was not successful, with the police intervening prior to him obtaining anything, she said.

He had no further involvement with that woman but had gone back to work at a sawmill in Howard, Ms Ukpabi said.

Magistrate Trinity McGarvie said she took into account the fact that Payne was working, contributing to the community and he had no criminal history.

She said it seemed at the time of the offending he had lost his home and had been living rough.

He had been socialising with someone who had a problem with addiction, Ms McGarvie said.

“You make the choice though as a mature person to engage in possessing dangerous drugs, to engage in dishonesty, to drive without a licence and then compound it all, failing to appear before the court.

Payne was ordered to attend a drug diversion program in relation to the drug offending with a good behaviour recognisance of $1500 with the requirement that he take part in the program.

The good behaviour bond would operate for a period of six months.

For the remaining offences he was fined a total of $3150 and he was disqualified from driving for three months.

No convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Todd Payne pleads guilty to drug offences in Hervey Bay