Benjamin John Wilson jailed for car theft, arson
A man who ‘borrowed’ a car for a job interview decided to film it burning instead of returning it. See what he said to his flatmate in the video.
Townsville
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A serial car thief stole and later set fire to his flatmate’s 4WD, then sent him video of the vehicle burning.
Judge William Everson described the actions of Benjamin John Wilson as ‘despicable’ and said it was hard to imagine why it happened.
Wilson, 33, pleaded guilty in the Townsville District Court on Thursday to both the theft and arson of a Mitsubishi Pajero that he had ‘borrowed’ from his flatmate in Inverell, NSW.
Crown Prosecutor Rana Aldas said Wilson had taken the Pajero to travel to Queensland for a job interview on the understanding that he would return it after three days.
She said in June 2022, despite repeated requests by its own to return the Pajero, Wilson then doused it in oil and then filmed it burning.
She said he sent the film to the flatmate with a message saying: ‘that’s what we do to dogs’.
The court heard that Wilson, who was a regular methamphetamine user, could not explain any reasons behind his actions.
The Pajero, valued at $9000, was destroyed in the fire.
Police arrested Wilson nearby and found he was carrying a shotgun cartridge and a clip seal bag with methamphetamine residue in it.
Judge Everson said Wilson was a ‘recidivist offender’ with a criminal history in both Queensland and NSW that included a number of previous car thefts.
He said Wilson was a drug addict and a seasoned criminal who had clearly become institutionalised.
The court was told that Wilson’s drug addicted mother gave him up to the state at the age of 12 and between that age and 17, he was placed in between 30 and 40 foster homes, before ending up in a care facility.
He used cannabis from an early age and moved to heroin and finally methamphetamine.
Judge Everson sentenced Benjamin John Wilson to three years’ jail for the arson.
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Originally published as Benjamin John Wilson jailed for car theft, arson
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