Mitchell Ikin pleads guilty to fraud, stealing offences

A man convicted of committing tens of thousands in fraud has told his lawyer there was pressure by unnamed people to pay his murdered brother’s $30,000 drug debt.

A man who faced court this week over a series of online frauds that netted more than $40,000 has attempted to explain the disturbing motivation for his offending.

Mitchell Ikin, appearing from jail before Ipswich Magistrates Court, instructed his lawyer that unnamed people had approached him about paying off the drug debts of his brother Timothy Pullen, who was murdered.

Mr Pullen was abducted from a Mackay unit in April 2012 and killed over a drug debt.

His body has never been found.

Appearing via video-link, Mitchell Jonathan Ikin, 37, pleaded guilty to 29 charges that involved numerous online frauds using Facebook Messenger.

The charges included fraud; stealing; forgery and uttering; uttering forged documents; stealing of a vehicle; obtaining or deal with another entity’s identification information for the purpose of facilitating an offence; personation in general; and failing to appear at court.

Prosecutor Sergeant Nicholas Turnbull said the offending involved $43,000, which mostly came from Ikin selling goods that never arrived after money was paid into his bank account.

He said the offending was aggravated in that it involved planning and occurred across 18 months during 2020 and into 2021.

His victims who never received the goods included a man who purchased a Supercharger kit for $7000 and woman who brought a VW Golf for her son for $5200.

Defence lawyer Jacilyn Young told the court Ikin’s brother Timothy Pullen was known to have been murdered over a $30,000 drug debt in 2012.

“His body has never been located and it has been in the public domain, in the media,” she said.

“Mr Ikin instructs that a group of men asked him to pay his brother’s drug debt.”

Magistrate David Shepherd then asked Ms Young if Ikin went to the police about it.

“He didn’t go to police as he was fearful what would happen to him given his brother had been killed,” Ms Young said.

“No, I’m not saying it was the persons who murdered his brother, but associated with that group.

“He has not spoken to police. It is not something he wishes to do.”

Ms Young said Ikin had spent 165 days held in custody since his arrest.

The court also heard Ikin intended to go into a residential drug unit for rehabilitation.

When asked by Mr Shepherd about the matter, Sergeant Turnbull said he was aware of the Pullen case and that one person convicted of an offence associated with his death was likely to be deported.

Sergeant Turnbull said he had no prior knowledge of what was disclosed in the open courtroom by Ms Young.

Mr Shepherd asked whether the unknown people had something to do with the motivation Ikin claims for his offending.

“The total of his fraud is well beyond the $30,000. It’s in excess of $40,000,” Mr Shepherd said.

“He denies it was used to support a drug habit.”

Mr Shepherd said the information provided regarding the alleged debts required more detail as there was very little before the court that he could act upon.

The court was briefly adjourned to allow Ms Young to discuss the issue privately with Ikin.

When it resumed Ms Young said Ikin instructed not to put any weight on the matter and did not wish to take it further.

Mr Shepherd said the frauds were serious and involved in excess of $43,000 by mostly selling items when he had nothing to actually sell or exchange.

There was also an impersonation charge in February 2021 that involved Ikin using another person’s details to obtain large sums of money.

No facts of that charge was revealed in court.

Ikin was sentenced to an 18-month jail order with an additional four months for failing to appear at court. He was given immediate eligibility to begin his parole application.