Motorist who stole £300 worth of diesel brought to court

Antonio Araujo, of Monks Lane, pulled the stunt not once or twice, but five times, the court was told on Thursday, August 7.
But the law inevitably caught up with the 53-year-old, said Helen Waite, prosecuting.
Mr Araujo admitted five charges of dishonestly making off without making payment at four different service stations in West Berkshire and Berkshire in May and June this year.
The court heard how he first drove off from Sainsbury’s in Newbury without paying for £39.74 of diesel on May 28.
He repeated the act at the BP Motor Services in Chieveley on June 1, where he failed to pay for £60.05 of diesel.
On June 4 he again made off from the same garage in Chieveley - this time without paying for £69.64 worth of fuel.
Less than two weeks later he again failed to pay for diesel totalling £70.06 from the Texaco garage in Oxford Road in Reading.
On June 24 he commited his final crime by making off without paying for £69.64 worth of diesel from BP in Woolhampton.
The court heard how Mr Araujo’s nephew sometimes drove the car, but that on all five occasions it was Mr Araujo who committed the offences.
Defending, Phil Kouvaritakis, said: “He has no relevant previous convictions. He accepts full responsibility and knows what he did was wrong.
“His wages were in arrears and he had no money to travel to and from work. He works as a cleaner earning £6.31 per hour.”
Magistrates ordered Mr Araujo to pay £309.13 compensation and costs of £85.
He was made subject to a 12 month community order to carry out 120 hours unpaid work.