This car was found in flames on the Princes Highway after a carjacking in Bega on 25 March. Photo: NSW Police.
A man has been sentenced to years in jail over an incident on the NSW South Coast in which a young woman had her car stolen before it was later found in flames.
Matthew John Scott, a 37-year-old from the Eurobodalla, was arrested after the incident and pleaded guilty on the first occasion he faced court.
On Tuesday (29 April), he was convicted of charges related to the incident, as well as charges from unrelated offending, and sentenced to a total of three years’ jail with 18 months’ non-parole by the Bega Local Court.
He was also fined $800 and ordered to pay a total of about $4300 in compensation to two different parties.
NSW Police originally alleged an 18-year-old woman was sitting in her SUV on a street in Bega on 25 March when she was approached by a screwdriver-brandishing man who pulled her out of the vehicle and drove away.
Police soon found the SUV about 15 km away to the north, near the intersection of the Princes Highway and Upper Cobargo Road in Brogo.
It was already in flames when the officers arrived at the scene.
Police believe the fire was caused by a mechanical issue. Photo: NSW Police.
“Rural Fire Service attended and extinguished the fire, believed to be caused by a mechanical issue,” a police spokesperson said at the time.
Scott was arrested nearby.
When he first faced court, he pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent to take and drive a motor vehicle, taking and driving a conveyance without consent, shoplifting and unlicenced driving over the incident.
He will be released on parole in September 2026.
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