A North Queensland dump truck driver’s bizarre crime spree has landed him behind bars after he used a fire extinguisher to rob a service station.
Beau Luke Koppensteiner’s offending began when he broke into the compound of an engineering business on the evening of January 19, 2025.
The court heard that once inside, the 34-year-old and a co-offender stole tools and batteries, before driving away in a Toyota Hilux owned by the company.
Crown prosecutor Terence McCosker said Koppensteiner’s offending only worsened the next morning at around 5am, when the pair arrived at a Bowen service station.
“They entered the store with their faces covered,” he said.
“The defendant entered with a fire extinguisher and yelled for everyone to stay away from them.”
Koppensteiner then used the extinguisher to cover a CCTV camera, before jumping behind the counter and pulling out the till.
The pair also fuelled $70 worth of diesel into the stolen Hilux, and later that day, took another $130 of petrol from another service station.
When police found the car the next day, it was extensively damaged, with cut wires and water damage visible on the interior.
Mr McCosker submitted Koppensteiner should be imprisoned for four to four and a half years for the unsophisticated offending.
Defence barrister Kellie Mythen said her client had issues with drug dependency, but he wished to move forward with his life.
“He is motivated… to ensure he breaks the cycle he has been repeating largely for the last 15 years,” she said.
Judge Gregory Lynham said the service station worker would have been terrified during the incident, and the business would have suffered as a result.
“You might well expect that this sort of behaviour… is quite traumatising,” he said.
Judge Lynham said Koppensteiner was “not a particularly good criminal” and hoped he didn’t end up in court again.
“If you continue using drugs… inevitably you’re going to commit more offences,” he said.
Koppensteiner pleaded guilty to robbery in company and unlawful use of a motor vehicle to facilitate the commission of an indictable offence in the night and in company.
He also pleaded guilty to seven summary offences of enter premises with intent, wilful damage, and stealing.
Koppensteiner was sentenced to four years in prison and given an immediate parole eligibility date, as 474 days in presentence custody was declared as time already served.
Extracted in full from: https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/not-a-good-criminal-nq-man-jailed-for-terrifying-service-station-robbery-with-fire-extinguisher/news-story/09d11e9df46672ff0913f5338426cdc8
