Aaron James Chapman convicted on 12 more counts after stealing from the Rosewater Football Club
Two years ago this ex-treasurer of a western suburbs footy club was convicted for stealing more than $70k from the club – but it’s been revealed that wasn’t all he took.
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The former treasurer of a western suburbs footy club has been convicted on further charges of stealing, more than two years after being sentenced for taking more than $70,000 from the club.
Aaron James Chapman, 25, was on Wednesday ordered to pay $10,059 in compensation to the Rosewater Football Club after pleading guilty to 12 aggravated counts of dishonestly taking property without consent.
Chapman, of Craigmore, was convicted in 2018 of 45 counts of aggravated theft for stealing $73,660 from the football club in 2016.
Chapman served 9 months and 19 days on home detention and was ordered to pay $20,000 in compensation for the 2018 conviction.
The Port Adelaide Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday forensic accounting had since uncovered theft of a further $10,059, from a different Rosewater Football Club account.
The matter went to a pre-trial conference, which led both defence and prosecution making a joint application to Magistrate John Wells that conviction without further penalty and compensation of $10,059 was appropriate.
Magistrate Wells said Chapman had abused a position of trust within the Rosewater Football Club.
“I am prepared to sentence you in what might appear to be an unusually lenient fashion for this type of conduct,” Magistrate Wells said.
“I want to make it clear to you that I consider your dishonest behaviour to be serious and that this is the type of financial crime that must not be tolerated.
“Too often, offenders don’t appreciate the serious consequences of what is sometimes called white-collar crime. Theft and fraud create victims, just as violent crimes create victims.
“The victims of your dishonest behaviour are the people connected to the Rosewater Football Club.”
Magistrate Wells said there were unusual circumstances with the matter, as it preferably would have been dealt with through the previous sentencing in 2018.
“These unusual circumstances lead me to sentence you in an unusual way,” Magistrate Wells said.
“At no time did you proactively own up to these additional frauds. However it’s clear your offending took place in 2016, so these offences are therefore not new or fresh offending.”
Magistrate Wells convicted Chapman without further penalty and ordered compensation of $10,059 to the Rosewater Football Club.
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