A man will face court charged after police seized brass memorial plaques and other items from a vehicle following a crash in Fairfield this morning, after a number of war memorials were desecrated.
About 1.50am (Friday 8 November 2024) police attached to Fairfield City Police Area Command observed a Toyota sedan with partially covered registration plates on The Horsley Drive, Fairfield.
Police attempted to stop the vehicle and when it did not stop, a pursuit was initiated.
A short time later, the vehicle crashed into a shop on the corner of Station Street and The Boulevarde, Fairfield Heights, before it caught fire.
The driver was pulled from the vehicle and the fire was extinguished by NSW Fire and Rescue crews.
The driver of the Toyota – a 34-year-old man – was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Liverpool Hospital under police guard with foot and leg injuries, where he remains.
Police searched the vehicle and located allegedly stolen items including brass plaques, war memorabilia and honour boards.
Those items were seized for forensic analysis and efforts are being made to return them to respective locations around Fairfield, where they are believed to have been stolen.
He has been charged with 18 offences.
- · Two counts wilfully damage or deface any protected place
- · Two counts destroy or damage property
- · Two counts larceny value more than $15,000
- · Two counts custody of a knife in public place
- · Two counts goods in personal custody suspected being stolen
- · Police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly
- · Use unregistered registerable class A motor vehicle
- · Licence expired within the last two years
- · Drive motor vehicle while licence suspended
- · Use class a vehicle displaying altered number plates
- · Possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit
- · Possess prohibited drug
- · Possess housebreaking implements
He was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Local Court via a bedside hearing tomorrow (Saturday 9 November 2024).
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
