‘EXTREME FOOLISHNESS’: Bundy man in court over Facebook scam

Magistrate: “The victims parted with their hard-earned money because they trusted you and that trust has been misplaced”.

Cody Honor.

Using his own name on social media and personal bank accounts to "scam" money from people, it was only a matter of time before the police came knocking.

Cody John William Honor appeared in the Bundaberg Magistrates Court last week facing seven fraud charges and a breach of bail condition charge which he pleaded guilty to.

The court heard the fraud charges were all for similar activities where Honor was advertising items for sale but then not delivering after the money had changed hands.

Police Prosecutor Senior Constable Tina Bland said he obtained a total of $3670 from his offending over several months.

The court heard Honor was on an Intensive Correction Order at the time of offending.

While Sen Const Bland was making her submissions, Magistrate Andrew Moloney said it was a "scam", to which she agreed.

Honor's lawyer said while the defendant had taken up smoking as an 11-year-old which caused health problems, he didn't have any particular substance abuse problems and his rationale for offending stemmed from financial difficulties.

In handing down his sentence, Mr Moloney said a personal and general deterrence "looms large".

 

Cody John William Honor.

 

"You, between the 20th November 2019 and 28th March 2020, on seven occasions advertised items for sale on social networking sites, and you enticed people to pay for those items but you never delivered," he said.

Mr Moloney said Honor made excuses and when people became abusive he "cut them off".

"There was no genuine effort by you at all to make good … in fact there still hasn't been during the entire time you've been on bail," he said.

"These people, the victims, parted with their hard-earned money because they trusted you and that trust has been misplaced - and that effects them and that effects the community."

Mr Moloney said he did not necessarily accept that Honor used the money because he was in some financial difficulty because of the intensive correction order restrictions.

However he did accept that the money wasn't for any other reason like drugs or alcohol.

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He said it was an aggravating feature that Honor committed the offences while on an Intensive Correction Order.

"You're still a young man, I think you're a very immature young man and your method to get the money seems to have been goal orientated only," he said.

Mr Moloney said once Honor got the money and didn't deliver, he was only ever going to be caught as he used his accounts and identified himself on Facebook.

He said the foolishness was extreme in this behaviour.

Honor was order to perform 100 hours of community service for the seven fraud charges, with conviction recorded for each offence.

With regards to the breach of bail conditions, Honor was convicted but not further punished.

Maloney ordered that Honor pay restitution to each of the complainants, all of which were referred to SPER.