NEWS

Guilty plea saves man from jail  

21 July 2010

A St Albans (Vic) man avoided a jail sentence after pleading guilty in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Monday (July 19) to illegally taking abalone and dangerous driving on January 10 this year.

The 35 year old man was convicted, fined $2,000 and received a one month prison sentence suspended for two years. He was also disqualified from driving a motor vehicle for six months.

The court heard the St Albans man provided another man with diving equipment at Black Rock, near Barwon Heads, and instructed him to collect abalone. While standing watch, the St Albans man also collected 11 red shore crabs from the nearby rocks.

Fisheries Officers approached the men after the diver returned to the shore with 24 abalone and were making their way to a dark blue Saab motor vehicle.

The St Albans man started the car and drove at one of the Fisheries Officers to avoid apprehension, forcing him to jump to safety. The Saab driver was apprehended at his St Albans home.

The 40 year old diver of no fixed address had been in Australia for two months on a working visa. He was convicted in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on January 12, fined $1,000 and deported.

In sentencing the St Albans man, Magistrate Ronald Saines said if not for the guilty plea, he would not have suspended the jail sentence and it would have had to be served immediately.

DPI Acting Fisheries Compliance Manager Iain Bruce said blacklip abalone is the basis of Victoria’s most valuable commercial fishery and theft was a major problem.

To protect the sustainability of recreational and commercial fishing, people who suspect illegal fishing activity should call the DPI Fisheries 24-hour offence reporting line 13 FISH (133 474).

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