Man pleads guilty to siphoning fuel from bushfire radio tower

Alec Toby Harvey, 32, has pleaded guilty to breaking into a broadcasting transmitter site near Eden on the South Coast. The incident occurred on August 14 at a facility located on Palestine Creek Trail, which provides local radio and internet services to residents.

The facility utilizes a backup generator to ensure essential communications remain active during bushfires. According to court documents, Harvey and a passenger arrived at the site in a white Nissan, where Harvey wore a black face covering. After forcing the gate open, Harvey siphoned diesel from the generator using a black hose.

Harvey, who was on parole for a Victorian matter at the time of the offense, appeared before Batemans Bay Local Court via audiovisual link. While Judge Doug Dick noted that such circumstances typically warrant a jail sentence, he has ordered a sentencing assessment report. Harvey is scheduled to be sentenced at Bega Local Court on October 13.