A young man who was promised $1,000 to steal his friend’s mother’s car and set it on fire in an insurance scam has avoided jail time.
Adam Flakemore was 24 and in drug debt when he agreed to participate in the scam orchestrated by Tracey Wilton in October 2022.
The plan involved stealing Wilton’s car and setting it on fire so she could claim over $10,000 from her insurer, RACT.
According to court documents, Flakemore took Wilton’s unlocked car from where it was parked on the street and drove it north.
However, instead of burning the vehicle as planned, he simply abandoned it intact.
Locals reported the abandoned vehicle to police, who seized it for forensic examination and uncovered DNA evidence linking Flakemore and a friend to the car.
Justice Robert Pearce said Flakemore never got his $1,000 from Wilton because she was “unhappy” that he failed to destroy the vehicle.
“Although your intent was dishonest, in effect, all you did was drive the car from Launceston to Devonport and abandon it there undamaged,” Justice Pearce said.
Flakemore pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and received a three-month prison sentence, wholly suspended for 18 months.
Wilton previously pleaded guilty to fraud and making a false declaration and was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
