▲TopHABITUAL ABALONE THIEF NETS THREE YEAR JAIL TERM

A Saint Albans man with 22 previous convictions for abalone theft and related crimes was jailed for 3 years, in the County Court in Melbourne today. Judge Joe Gullaci said Tan Truong NGUYEN, 49, had obviously not learned any lessons from his previous convictions.

The judge ordered 15 months of the sentence be suspended but reminded NGUYEN that any breach of the law, even a traffic offence, could see him serve the full term.

He has been in custody since his arrest. NGUYEN and a co-offender Van Liet LE, 44, of Broadmeadows, pleaded guilty to taking a commercial quantity of abalone at Williamstown, in September last year.

The court heard that during the closed season the two men were caught with 539 abalone, 250 of which were under legal size.

The judge sentenced LE to 6 months jail but suspended the whole sentence for 2 years. Both men were issued prohibition orders, forbidding them to handle abalone in any way.

Between them they forfeited a van and diving gear. The Director of Field Services in Fisheries Victoria, Michael Hodder, said the sentence would help provide a significant deterrent to any others tempted to flout the law.

These activities threaten both abalone stocks and the ecosystem that support them.

Together with the community we must maintain an effective compliance regime that protects our fish stocks for the future.

This matter demonstrates that the judiciary is willing to impose tough penalties for fish thieves, and those who break the law should take note.

Mr Hodder urged members of the public to call the 24 hour reporting line, 13-FISH, if they see any illegal fishing activity.