A TWO Rocks man pleaded guilty in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on February 4 to entering state land, cutting up a felled tree and attempting to leave with a quantity of wood.
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) said on November 11 last year the 74-four-year-old man drove a vehicle through a section of cut fencing, 200m into the bush on Breakwater Dr and used a chainsaw to cut up a felled tree.
He then loaded the cut pieces into his vehicle before attempting to leave the property.
A DPLH field management officer located the man on the property and instructed him to remove the wood and leave the area.
DPLH charged the man with driving on state land – regulation 14 of the Planning and Development Regulation 2009 and with damaging flora on state land – regulation 15(4) of the Planning and Development Regulation 2009.
The man, who cannot be named due to a spent conviction, was fined $1500 and ordered to pay court costs of $259.
The Magistrate, in issuing the fine, noted the need for a deterrent for the offender and the community to protect the environmental values of the area.
The department said it takes deliberate damage to state land very seriously and would continue to pursue those individuals or groups through the judicial system if necessary.
