Former Echunga football coach Lindsay Bassani could serve prison sentence as home detention for abuse of public office
A FORMER football coach and youth mentor who illegally bought items with Education Department money could be among the first to serve their sentence on home detention.
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A FORMER football coach and youth mentor who illegally bought items with Education Department money could be among the first to serve their sentence on home detention.
Lindsay Bassani pleaded guilty to three counts of abuse of public office to secure a benefit between December 2012 and May 2014, when he was in charge of the SA Aboriginal Sports Training Academy.
Bassani, 38, admitted unlawfully using Education Department funds to but $9347 of goods, including a television, washing machine and training singlets for the Echunga Football Club, which he coached to a premiership before he was arrested and charged.
The charges came after Bassani was the subject of an ICAC investigation.
In sentencing submissions last month, Bassani’s lawyer, Marie Shaw QC, told Adelaide Magistrates Court that his crimes were borne out of generosity and obligation to troubled youths rather than for greed.
The only item Bassani bought that was not related to his work were solar panels, for which he said he planned to pay back the money when he received his coaching payments from Echunga.
He had since paid back the money, the court heard previously.
Ms Shaw said Bassani was a “father figure” to disadvantaged Aboriginal youths and most of the items were bought in preparation for a drop-in centre at the school he worked at.
The court heard Bassani worked seven days a week and had “crossed the line in the management of this program” — which had cost him his job and his reputation and had caused him to be threatened.
She asked magistrate Ian White to suspend any prison term because Bassani was unlikely to offend again.
Ms Shaw also urged Mr White to disregard comments made by Bassani during a police interview, because he had not been provided with a lawyer despite asking for one.
Mr White was to have sentenced Bassani today (Friday), but adjourned the case because of new legislation, which that came into effect this week, allowing offenders who have committed non-violent offences to serve their prison term as home detention.
Mr White said he was reluctant to adjourn the case because Bassani was “anxious to learn his fate”, but he needed to obtain a report on whether the former coach’s house was suitable for home detention.
Bassani could be among the first offenders in the state to be allowed to serve his sentence on home detention, if Mr White rules the offences are too serious to suspend a custodial sentence but opts against jail.
The court heard such reports would take four weeks to prepare.
Bassani was remanded on continuing bail to face sentencing in October.
During the previous hearing, a number of letters of reference were handed to the court, outlining the contributions Bassani had made to at-risk youths and the community of Echunga.
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