GOOD TURN OVER CAR SWAP GOES TO POT FOR EDDIE

Do a bloke a favour and look what happens.

When Graham Smith lost his house to the State Government after being
convicted fo growing 20 marijuana plants with the intention of selling the
resulting harvest, Jandakot car wrecker Eddie Crabtree felt sorry for him.

"I knew him, he's a good bloke and he certainly didn't get his house from
selling mullies," Eddie told IC.

In order to give the 60-year-old invalid pensioner somewhere to sleep,
Eddie offered to swap Mr Smith's Statesman Caprice for a Mazda van.

"I thought we could paint it up and maybe get something for it (the
Statesman)," Eddie said.

He gave the Caprice to a friend to do the paint job but it broke down on
the way to the workshop.

Left by the side of the road, it disappeared before resurfacing in another
location.

"The local council found it and put an abandoned vehicle notice on it but
by the time I was notified it had been stripped and trashed," Eddie said.

"First the Government trashed Graham's life and now my car's been trashed."

He reckons he's about $4000 out of pocket.

Meanwhile, Mr Smith is living in the Mazda van at a friend's property in
the Collie district.

The State has sent him a bill for $360, claiming he stayed three weeks too
long in his house, which was later sold at auction for the princely sum of
$94,000.