Source : Perth Now news
A suspended police officer has appeared in court over his alleged role in a driving licence scam.
Scott Charles Applebee, 46 from Adelaide, was one of three men charged on suspicion of abusing public office – alongside Sam Wheatley, 50, and Elijah Conrad Ware, 43.
Mr Applebee, a serving police officer, was suspended from duties following his arrest in March.
On Wednesday, Mr Applebee and Mr Wheatley, of Balhannah, appeared in front of magistrates in Adelaide for the first time.
Mr Ware, of Trott Park, had his first appearance in the same court last month, on May 8.
It is claimed all three men played roles in an alleged scam involving the false issuing of provisional driving licences.
Mr Ware faces 12 separate charges, while Mr Applebee and Mr Wheatley face two counts each.
The alleged offences occurred between May and August 2025, with Mr Applebee involved in an incident on May 21, 2025 in Glandore.
Court documents allege Mr Applebee and Mr Ware “improperly exercised power or influence” to obtain a certificate of competency for Benjamin Wilkin, resulting in the issuance of a provisional driver’s licence – with the intention of receiving payment for vehicle on road tests which were not conducted.
Meanwhile, Mr Wheatley’s charges relate to an incident in Mount Barker on May 26, 2025, which involved he and Mr Ware “improperly exercising power or influence” and “falsifying documents”.
At the time of the alleged offending, Mr Ware was working as an authorised examiner and driving instructor.
Mr Applebee is a police officer and Mr Wheatley is a state government employee, but at the time both were also working as driving instructors.
During a short hearing at Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday, neither men spoke while they stood in the dock.
Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos adjourned the case until October 13, the same date as Mr Ware’s next scheduled appearance.
