Named and shamed: South Burnett’s frauds and thieves revealed

Two Murgon women have been sentenced for using an associate’s debit card to purchase alcohol and cigarettes, and are just the latest in a long list of those facing dishonesty offences this year. See the full list:

Two women have been sentenced in court after they swiped an acquaintance’s debit card and used it to buy themselves booze and cigarettes.

Liscene Bella Warner, 42, and Delores Maree Goltz, 47, are the latest South Burnett residents to be sentenced in court for fraud or theft.

Warner and Goltz went to the home of a Murgon man they knew through a mutual friend on May 8.

Police prosecutor Lisa Manns told the court the pair sat down on a couch in the victim’s shed, next to the man’s open backpack that contained his wallet.

After the women left the property, the man discovered his wallet on the veranda with his card missing.

Warner and Goltz purchased cigarettes, a bottle of ginger wine, Bundaberg Rum and coke with the stolen card.

Warner later told police the victim had given her his card to purchase alcohol.

When the pair fronted court, they claimed the victim gave them the card to purchase supplies for a party but the party never happened.

Warner’s lawyer told the court her client accepted “the basis for using the card was not followed”.

Warner pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, and one each of stealing and contravening a direction.

Goltz pleaded guilty to fraud, receiving tainted property, contravening a direction and possessing a drug utensil.

They were each placed on probation for six months.

The pair are the latest to be sentenced in South Burnett courts for fraud-related offences.

Jennifer Ann Murchie. Picture: Dominic Elsome

Mum sentenced for stealing from sport club

A Kingaroy mother of five with spend the next three months in a jail cell after admitting to stealing more than $24,000 from a local sporting club.

Jennifer Ann Murchie broke down as she told the court she “hit rock bottom” after her offending, which took place between July and December 2018 and saw her funnel off $24,258.55 from the Kingaroy Touch Football Association.

Despite her pleas of remorse, the 48-year-old refused to reveal what she used the money for.

The Kingaroy Magistrates Court heard it was unlikely it would be paid back.

At the time of the offending, Murchie was treasurer of the touch football club where her children competed.

Murchie pleaded guilty to the seven counts of stealing by clerks or servants.

She was sentenced to 18 months’ jail, with a parole release date set for September 27.

No order for restitution was made.

Full story here

Thief slammed for stealing from Wondai SES group

While heroic members of the community were pulling on high-vis to battle a flood crisis that hit the region, one drunk 22-year-old decided to make a quick buck by stealing vital equipment from emergency crews.

Cohen Jason Beggs was heavily intoxicated when he bumped into two men in Murgon who offered him a way to make quick money – break into the Wondai SES shed.

Just before midnight on January 7, Beggs and his co-accused broke into the shed and made off with a LandCruiser and thousands of dollars worth of chainsaws and other equipment.

Not satisfied with the initial bounty, they later returning and took a generator and floodlights.

Beggs was sentenced to 12 months in jail, which was wholly suspended for three years.

Full story here

Woman steals thousands of dollars of Lego

A woman who went on a statewide crime spree during Covid lockdown and stole more than a thousand dollars worth of toys, was berated for her “callous disregard” of the thousands of Australians who died from the virus.

Tegan Joy Morrison, who now lives in Deception Bay, face court for multiple crimes including stealing and breaching Covid restrictions.

The 22-year-old breached lockdown by travelling from Brisbane to the South Burnett in August last year. She also stole more than $1000 of lego from a Big W store.

Morrison did not appear in court in person but was convicted of stealing, trespass, receiving tainted property, and failing to comply with Covid restrictions.

She was fined $1500 and ordered to pay $1145 in compensation to the Strathpine Big W.

Full store here

Jailtime for destructive crime spree across southeast Qld

A South Burnett man involved in a wave of robberies across southeast Queensland has blamed peer-pressure for his spate of criminal exploits.

Arthur Robert Martin Carlo, 22, pleaded guilty to a string of 18 charges racked up between 2019 and 2022, including a wild Wednesday where he stole a car and broke into a string of properties across Tiaro, Kilkivan, Woolooga and Ban Ban Springs and Gayndah.

Kicking off at the Royal Hotel in Tiaro on July 28, Carlo and a group of friends smashed their way into the business through the glass door using a shovel and stole alcohol before heading off to Kilkivan in a stolen black Mazda.

The owners of the Kilkivan General Store woke to a loud bang when Carlo smashed his way into the business using the same shovel and stole cigarettes, ice cream and drinks, before taking off to a tobacconist in Gympie where he took a till filled with about $2000.

Carlo pleaded guilty to four counts of entering a premises and committing indictable offence by break, four counts of breaching bail, three counts of failing to appear, two counts of unlawful use, entering a premises and committing indictable offence, entering a premises with intent, entering a dwelling and committing indictable offence, and evading a fare.

He was sentenced to 15 months in jail with immediate parole.

Carlo was also ordered to pay $478 in compensation for damage done to two businesses.

Full story here