Conman Dale Shipston jailed for using fake notes to scam teen and steal scooter

A conman who used counterfeit $50 notes to scam a teenager out of his scooter during a Facebook Marketplace sale has been jailed for fraud.

The Roof Cafe car park at Thornlands, where the scam occurred. Picture: Google Maps

A conman who used counterfeit $50 notes to swindle a teenager out of his electric scooter has been jailed, following a tense hearing at Cleveland Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 1.

Dale Shipston, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud – dishonestly obtaining property from another – and one count of uttering counterfeit money, after orchestrating a calculated scam that targeted a 17-year-old boy who was selling his scooter on Facebook Marketplace.

The court heard the teen had advertised his $800 scooter and was contacted by someone using the profile name “Shiann”.

The prosecutor said the Facebook profile included a photo of a man and woman, and the teen later identified the man as Dale Shipston.

Messages were exchanged over several weeks, from December 22 before they agreed to meet on January 12 at night in a carpark near Roof Café, at the corner of Thornlands Rd and George Thorn Dr, Thornlands.

The court heard that around 10.45pm, Shipston arrived in a white hatchback with a female passenger.

In the dark and rain, he handed the teen a white envelope marked “For scooter $800”, containing 16 counterfeit $50 notes.

The teen handed over his scooter and charger and walked home, later opening the envelope and realising the money was fake. He reported the matter to police.

The prosecutor said forensic testing and CCTV footage linked Shipston to the transaction.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta described the crime as deliberate and predatory.

“I think you’ve deliberately targeted this person and you’ve set out to exchange this money in a dark car park, and you’ve added to the difficulty when it’s raining, and you put it in an envelope so this kid couldn’t see that you were handing over $800 in fake notes,” she said.

The prosecutor said Shipston had already been offered the state’s most intensive rehabilitation options through Queensland’s Drug and Alcohol Court, but had failed to properly engage with the program on two separate occasions.

Magistrate Vasta also noted Shipston’s extensive criminal record, telling the court his “17-page history” worked against him in sentencing, though the transcript did not detail specific prior offences.

As the sentence was handed down, two armed police officers entered the courtroom and stood silently at the rear.

When Magistrate Vasta confirmed Shipston was going to jail, they moved forward and handcuffed him without incident.

Shipston was sentenced to six months in prison, with release on parole after one month, and was ordered to pay $800 in restitution to the victim.

He was taken into custody immediately and is expected to be released on parole on July 27, following 27 days of pre-sentence custody.