Ashley Louise Christmas and Daniel James Langmead sentenced for $86k credit card fraud

A Parkinson’s sufferer has been left “shattered” after his fraudster daughter and her partner copied his credit card and spent up big to fund their lifestyle.

A 66-year-old Parkinson’s sufferer has been left ‘shattered’ after his daughter and her partner used his credit card details to fund their lifestyle.

Ashley Louise Christmas, 30, and Daniel James Langmead, 31, wiped away their tears as they sat in the Christies Beach Magistrate Court dock on Tuesday.

The couple had previously pleaded guilty to dishonestly taking property without consent.

The court heard Christmas had been given permission by her father to make purchases for him with the card while he was in hospital, when she copied the card details and spent $86,183 without his knowledge.

The couple racked up 1768 charges on Phillip Christmas’ credit card purchasing mostly everyday items between November 2017 and April 2020 in Woodside, Balhannah, Mannum and other places, the court heard.

These included 436 unauthorised charges to Afterpay accounts, 55 to PayPal, 211 to the On The Run app, 18 to a Mannum pharmacy, and payments to internet provider TPG and Latitude Pay.

A total of 284 unauthorised charges were also made to Balhannah Foodland, 13 to Nairne Community Pharmacy, 324 to Laybuy and 427 to Openpay.

In her sentencing remarks, Magistrate Lynette Duncan said the offending was a ‘gross breach of trust’.

Ashley Louise Christmas and Daniel James Langmead and a supporter at an earlier court appearance. Picture: Russell Millard

“Throughout the offending period Ms Christmas and Mr Langmead maintained a normal family relationship with Mr Christmas,” she said.

“In mid-2019, Mr Christmas discovered the transactions, told the defendants to stop using the card and they agreed to repay the amount taken.”

The court heard the couple made only a total repayment of $708 from June through October 2019.

“Despite being given an opportunity to stop and make restitution, you continued to offend by using Mr Christmas’s credit card without his permission until April 2020 when he discovered the continued unauthorised transactions and reported the matter to police,” Magistrate Duncan said.

“Mr Christmas describes the discovery of his daughter having been defrauding him, has completely shattered him.

“Prosecution has sought a sentence reflecting the nature of offending and the gross betrayal of trust.”

Magistrate Duncan acknowledged personal and general deterrence and protection of the community must be considered as she handed down a single sentence for all charges.

Langmead was sentenced to one year and 18 days imprisonment with a non-parole period of six months and three weeks and ordered to pay a total of $19,977.88 back to Mr Christmas.

Christmas was sentenced to one year, 10 months and 22 days with a non-parole period of one year and was ordered to pay her father a total of $65,497.39.

Both will serve their sentence on home detention while completing one day a week of community service.