Finding fuel will provide difficult for one man, who has been banned from every petrol station in England and Wales – all 7,111 of them, in fact.
60-year-old Paul Fagg from Shepway in Kent was given a two-year ban after he was found guilty of stealing £3,690 worth of fuel from petrol stations across the two countries.
Fagg committed 41 separate fuel thefts, each time by claiming he had forgotten his wallet and then promising to pay the bill within a week, having left a fake address. A variety of vehicles were used including a Range Rover and a Renault Scenic.
Reports say Fagg was manipulated into stealing, which was taken into account by judge Adele Williams, who gave him the two-year petrol station ban and a 12-month sentence suspended for two years.
He will also have to wear an electronic tag for the next four months and stay at home between 9pm and 7am.
Speaking at Canterbury Crown Court, Williams said: “You behaved in a thoroughly dishonest way, verging on professional dishonesty because the number of vehicles involved suggests that you were filling vehicles up with fuel to order.
“You are 60 and have a bad record of dishonesty… it’s time you gave up committing offences.”
Phil Rowley, defending, said he was unemployed due to health problems, which was also factored into the sentence.
The judge added: “You could have no complaints had I sent you immediately to prison but I have concluded I can suspend the sentence for three reasons.
“Firstly you have pleaded guilty, secondly because of your serious health problems but finally because I believe I can prevent you from committing this particular type of offence again.”
Fagg is said to not own a car so the sentence should be fairly easy to live with, although exactly how it will be reinforced remains to be seen.
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