A transient 78-year-old convicted fraudster has been given a good behaviour bond for petrol drive-offs across Canterbury and Central Otago.
Ewen James McLeod, 78, was before the Gore District Court this week for four times filling up his Ford Transit Vvn with diesel before driving away.
Judge James Johnston said the man had a history of obtaining by deception.
"He pops up quite regularly," Judge Johnston said.
The court heard on February 20 he drove into the Challenge station in Winchester and filled his van up with $70 worth of diesel.
When his card declined, he told the manager he would come back and pay tomorrow and filled out a "unable to pay" document.
The police summary said he never returned.
A month later, he left BP Cromwell without paying for $75.18 of diesel, and then again four days later from a Caltex station in Timaru.
Then, two days after, at a Mobil in Rakaia, he again left without paying for $41.24 of fuel.
In regards to the Cromwell incident, the man told police he just drove off absent-mindedly without paying.
He declined to comment on the three other incidences.
Defence counsel Jono Ross said his client lived a transient lifestyle driving around the South in a mobile home.
He said McLeod suffered from mental health issues and was not medicated at the time of the thefts.
These difficulties left the defendant absent-minded when it came time to pay, Mr Ross said.
Judge Johnston said he would take on board the man’s explanation, but there was no medical evidence to support that excuse.
The judge deferred the sentence for six months and ordered him to pay for the stolen petrol.
"If he carries on in this way, then it’ll all just come back," the judge said.
Over 20 years ago, McLeod was the head of failed Christchurch alcohol recovery centre The Deanery when it collapsed in 2003.
At the time, it was reported the collapse left creditors with debts of $300,000.
He was convicted in Christchurch of wrongly cashing an $8000 check to his personal account in 2006 and breaching bankruptcy regulations in 2007.
