Gympie, Fraser Coast, Bundaberg fraudsters named and shamed | List
From a woman who stole sex shop goods to an employee who stole over $7000 from the till while at work, these are 10 cases where Wide Bay thieves and fraudsters were caught in action.
Gympie
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gympie. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Wide Bay region has seen a decent amount of thieves and fraudsters in 2021 so far, but the long arm of the law eventually caught up with these criminals as they all found themselves in the courts of Gympie, Bundaberg and the Fraser Coast.
From a woman who pinched sex shop goods and bunnings bandits, to an employee who stole over $7000 from the till while at work, these are 10 cases where Wide Bay thieves and fraudsters were caught in action.
Gympie fish and chip shop worker stole $7k from till
The owners of Gympie business Fisherman’s Haul discovered via CCTV that one of their employees, and a close family friend, stole thousands of dollars from them while she worked.
Emma Elizabeth Ritchie, 38, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to stealing as an employee on February 1, 2021, and was sentenced on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.
Ritchie, a mother who lives in Gympie, stole a total of $7268 in cash from the family business on 94 occasions, across 69 shifts in 2019.
The court heard Ritchie did not just steal money but took items of stock with no intention of reimbursing the owners.
Ritchie was ordered to pay the $7268 in restitution and was sentenced to 12 months jail, suspended for two years. A conviction was recorded.
Bunnings bandit: Truth comes out as Hervey Bay fraudster sentenced
A Hervey Bay woman, who posed as other people, fronted Hervey Bay Magistrates Court for her actions.
Beaudine Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, impersonation, receiving tainted goods, and six counts of breach of bail.
Police prosecutor Sonia Edwards said on December 13, 2019, Johnson posed as the owner of a red iPhone and used the mobile to order a new phone to the value of $762, with the real iPhone owner unknowingly paying the bill.
Johnson also posed as a construction company and fraudulently purchased tools from Bunnings at a cost of $1822 from June 26 to July 29, 2020.
She was sentenced to six months imprisonment, wholly suspended with an operational period of three years. Johnson was also fined a total of $1500. Convictions were recorded.
Bundaberg man’s family offers support as he is sentenced over five-day spending spree
When Bundaberg father Mark Alan Murdoch found a purse in a taxi, he used the card inside to pay for the ride, as well as a five-day, $3375.12 spending spree.
Family and friends appeared in court to show their support for the father of four, who was charged with one count of stealing and 53 counts of fraud.
A letter from Murdoch’s former partner – the mother of three of his children – was also given to Magistrate Andrew Moloney, attesting to his good character and behaviour as a father.
Murdoch was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment for each offence, to be served concurrently, with immediate parole.
He must pay $3375.12 restitution, deferred to SPER. Convictions were recorded.
Tap-and-go Gympie fraudster spends $400 on booze in one day
A 33-year-old Gympie man bought more than $400 worth of alcohol and smokes using a Westpac card stolen from a wallet he found on the road.
The victim had left his wallet and phone on the roof of his car before driving off on July 19, 2020.
Shortly after, Scott James Blackman saw the wallet on the road and instead of handing it in, he took the card out and went on a spending spree.
Starting at Liquor World and making his way to Drakes, BWS and the Phoenix Hotel, Blackman bought $371.99 worth of alcohol and $63.45 for smokes on payWave.
Following his plea of guilty in January, Blackman was sentenced to two months jail, suspended for one year and ordered to pay $435.44 in compensation.
Blackman was also fined $300 for breaching bail and possessing Subutex. Convictions were recorded.
Hervey Bay woman steals former colleague’s debit card, goes on spending spree
Naomi Ruth Bird pleaded guilty to stealing, seven counts of fraud and one count of attempted fraud when she appeared before Hervey Bay Magistrates Court.
The court heard on July 13, the victim had attended the police station to tell them her Indue Cashless Debit Card had been stolen from her letterbox and used without her permission.
Bird attended the same day and admitted to the crimes, telling the police she was aware it belonged to the victim and she did not attempt to return it.
The court heard Bird had spent hundreds of dollars using the card, purchasing a phone, phone credit, catching taxis and using it at McDonalds and convenience store Night Owl to purchase food and cigarettes.
She was fined $1200 and ordered to pay restitution. Convictions were recorded.
Bundaberg woman faces court for stealing from adult shop and clothing stores
A woman was ordered to pay more than $1000 in restitution after stealing items from an adult shop, as well as clothing items from another store.
Jacquelyn Amanda Turner pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Magistrates Court to a number of offences including stealing.
The court heard Turner went into the Into Love adult shop in Bundaberg on November 3, 2020, and walked out with a total of $1485 in goods.
On November 6, Turner went to a shopping centre in Hervey Bay where she filled up a cloth bag from Best and Less with clothing items worth $307.
She then went to Lowes, where she took a clothing item designed for a dog valued at $15.95.
Turner was placed on a $1000 good behaviour bond for a period of 12 months and ordered to pay $1065.45 in restitution. Convictions were recorded.
Fraser Coast man busted stealing bag from pokies player
Stealing a bag from a woman playing the poker machines at a hotel turned out to be more costly that the crime was worth for one Hervey Bay man.
Joshua James Smoothy pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court to stealing after a previous conviction, obstructing police, trespassing and possessing restricted drugs.
The court heard in the first incident, the victim was at a hotel and had the bag next to her while playing the poker machines.
Smoothy stole the handbag, which had the victim’s $1000 car keys, cards and cash inside.
He was fined $1000 and ordered to pay $2500 in restitution. Convictions were recorded.
Bundaberg court hears how man used NDIS money to buy van for disabled son
A man was jailed after he defrauded the NDIS to fix up and sell boats to fund the purchase of a van to transport his disabled son.
Cary Thomas White, 54, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg District Court to five counts of gaining a financial advantage by deception.
The court heard White was the carer for his disabled son, who was non-verbal and suffered from seizures. He was also the nominated provider for services for him under the NDIS.
During a period of about nine months, between July 2019 and March 2020, White made a number of claims and was paid numerous amounts of money for things that were supposedly related to services.
When his accounts were examined, a number of transactions were found where White had “appropriated to himself” a sum of $41,767.83.
White was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment and will be released on a $1000 good behaviour bond for two years after serving three months in custody. Convictions were recorded.
Addict Gympie mum stole $200 in goods, crashed car while on P-plates
A 35-year-old Gympie mum has been placed on probation after she stole Bunnings items worth more than $200 and drove over the limit, while on her P-plates.
Mother of four, Tegan Maree Plover, was caught stealing six different items totalling $222.90 at Bunnings in Underwood on October 21.
Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said Plover put the items in her handbag before leaving without paying.
Plover pleaded guilty to the stealing offence in Gympie Magistrates Court in March and also entered a plea of guilty for driving over the alcohol limit and failing to appear in court.
On July 21 at Southside, Plover was driving home from a friend‘s house when she was involved in a crash on Andrea Ave.
When police attended the scene and breathalysed Plover, she blew 0.120.
Plover was placed on probation for 12 months for the three offences. Convictions were recorded.
‘Opportunistic’ Bundaberg fraudster goes on spending spree with stolen bank card
A Bundaberg court heard how a woman used a bank card she found to make purchases at Rebel Sport and at a bottle shop, but had no memory of the offending.
Katelyn Anne Lucky Tewaiti pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Magistrates Court to one count of stealing and two counts of fraud.
The court heard the card’s owner had been out shopping in Bundaberg on October 30, when she unknowingly dropped her bank card on her way to her car.
Tewaiti first used the card at Rebel Sport to buy clothes using paywave to the value of $79.98, returning later to spend another $84.98.
That same afternoon Tewaiti went to the Sugarland Tavern’s drive-through bottle shop where she used the card to buy a 10-pack of Smirnoff Ice to the value of $52.99.
Tewaiti was placed on a $600 good behaviour bond for a period of 12 months and was ordered to pay a total of $217.95 in restitution. A conviction was not recorded.
Regional Qld officer charged, suspended over unlawful use allegations
A regional Qld police officer has been ordered to face court amid allegations he inappropriately used the service’s systems.
Your guide to Qld Wide Bay Burnett election candidates 2024
The Wide Bay Burnett is home to Queensland’s most marginal state seats, and some of its safest. Meet every candidate vying for your vote come October 26.