A 24-year-old Wollongong man has been charged with 30 offences relating to malicious damage to telecommunications infrastructure across the Illawarra and South West Sydney regions.
In April, police identified a series of incidents across the Lake Illawarra and Wollongong Police Districts and the Liverpool Police Area Command relating to damage to telecommunications infrastructure.
Police will allege the man cut the cabling within telecommunications infrastructure, which caused EFTPOS facilities in neighbouring commercial businesses to become immobilised.
The man then made a number of fraudulent purchases while EFTPOS services were offline.
Following investigation by police from Lake Illawarra, a 24-year-old man was arrested in Liverpool earlier this week (Tuesday 2 July 2019).
The man was charged with 30 offences relating to these matters, including intentionally/recklessly destroy/damage property, tamper with facility owned by carrier to hinder operation and dishonestly obtain property by deception.
The man has been refused bail and will appear before Wollongong Local Court on 20 August 2019.
Police inquiries are continuing.
