Partner ordered me to withdraw thousands from his account, stealing accused tells jury

A Crown prosecutor in the case of a Tasmanian woman accused of fleecing her former partner of $100K has delivered his closing arguments to a Hobart court, calling on them to make a decision on the ‘nine separate trials’.

Tasmanian woman denies fleecing partner of $100k following disability insurance payout

A Supreme Court jury hearing the case of a Tasmanian woman accused of fleecing $100,000 from her then-partner’s bank accountmore than a decade ago has heard closing arguments from defence and prosecution counsel.

Leena Maree Anderson, 56, has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of stealing, after she allegedly accessed the bank accountof Craig Moon from October 2012 to January 2013, without his knowledge or permission.

On Friday in Hobart, Crown prosecutor Ian Arendt asked jury members to carefully consider the particulars of each charge,telling them they were effectively hearing nine separate trials.

Mr Arendt said because there was no dispute about the fact Ms Anderson withdrew the cash on each occasion, the case hingedon whether or not she had Mr Moon’s permission to make the transactions.

HOBART, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos APRIL 30 2021: Supreme Court of Tasmania, Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Richard Jupe

Mr Moon gave evidence at trial that he asked Ms Anderson to only ever withdraw his pension, and said he had not found outabout the larger amounts until years later, Mr Arendt said.

Ms Anderson, on the other hand, testified that Mr Moon had directed her to make each withdrawal, with the money being usedon some occasions to pay for items such as rings and motorbikes.

“They both can’t be right,” Mr Arendt said, reminding the jury that it was up to the prosecution to prove its case beyondreasonable doubt.

In summing up the case for jury members, Justice Helen Wood said defence lawyer Greg Richardson had asked them not to drawinferences about the defendant’s use of electronic gaming machines around the time of her alleged offending.

Justice Wood said to find Ms Anderson guilty on any count of stealing, they must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt thedefendant took money from Mr Moon’s account, that she did so dishonestly, that she did so without the consent of Mr Moon,and that she intended to permanently deprive Mr Moon of the cash.

Her Honour urged the jury needed to examine evidence given by Mr Moon at trial very carefully, saying they had to be satisfiedbeyond reasonable doubt he was both a truthful and reliable witness.

Justice Wood will conclude her summing up on Monday, before the jury is expected to retire to consider its verdicts.

EARLIER: A Tasmanian woman accused of fleecing $100,000 from her then-partner’s bank account more than a decade ago has told a Supreme Court jury she made the withdrawals on his direct orders, and always handed the cash over to him.

Leena Maree Anderson, 56, has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of stealing, after she allegedly accessed the bank account of Craig Moon on multiple occasions from October 2012 to January 2013, without his knowledge or permission.

Giving evidence in Hobart on Thursday, Ms Anderson admitted she was responsible for making each of the nine withdrawals – including one in the amount of $25,000 – but said Mr Moon not only authorised the transactions, but specified the varying cash amounts.

“It was under his specific request,” Ms Anderson told defence lawyer, Greg Richardson.

“The numbers that he actually asked for weren’t relevant to me. It was his money”.

Ms Anderson said that after each withdrawal, she handed the proceeds to Mr Moon, who requested money for the intended or actual purchase of items including cars, jewellery, gaming consoles, televisions, white goods, and furniture.

The defendant claimed that during their relationship, she and Mr Moon had lived an “extremely lavish” lifestyle that was solely funded by him, and which was well beyond the means of their combined disability pensions.

Ms Anderson said Mr Moon would often accompany her on gambling trips to Wrest Point casino, regularly picked up the couple’s $200 a week cannabis bill, and spent $3000 during a single visit to Prouds Jewellers on gold earrings for her, a ruby-set ring for himself.

After Mr Moon moved into Ms Anderson’s home, he bought two 55-inch TVs, a new washing machine and lawnmower, two double-seater couches, and funded a backyard makeover that included landscaping and the installation of an above-ground pool, she said.

When asked where she understood the money had come from, Ms Anderson said Mr Moon had told her it was victims of crime compensation payment for an injury he sustained before he couple met.

Ms Anderson told the court that after Mr Moon had badly assaulted her in December 2015, she sought refuge in a women’s shelter where her now ex-partner contacted her by telephone seeking reconciliation.

“He was telling me how much he sincerely loved me, how much he wanted me back, and that he still wanted to marry me,” she told the jury.

“I told him that he would never see me again.

“Before I hung up the call, he told me that he would ‘pay me back’.”

Court generic

Mr Richardson asked Ms Anderson whether she believed she had Mr Moon’s express authority for every withdrawal made from his account.

“I did. That’s correct,” the defendant responded.

Facing questions about her financial circumstances around the time of the alleged offending from Crown prosecutor Ian Arendt, Ms Anderson agreed she had been paying off debts owed to multiple cash lenders, and was incurring everyday living expenses such as food, electricity, rent, and gas.

Mr Arendt presented the defendant with bank statements from her own account at the time, which revealed regular cash withdrawals from ATMs located at Wrest Point, and multiple instances of her account being overdrawn.

Ms Anderson told the court that while she spent at least some of each withdrawn amount playing electronic gaming machines and Keno at the casino, it was possible she had kept some of it to take home.

“I always withdrew the whole amount of my pension,” she said.

The trial, before Justice Helen Wood, continues.

Alleged theft victim denies authorising cash withdrawals

EARLIER: A Tasmanian disability support pensioner, whose former partner is on trial for allegedly siphoning $100,000 from his bank account more than a decade ago, has rejected suggestions he authorised the cash withdrawals to pay for watercraft, motorcycle accessories, engagement rings, wedding venue hire, and living expenses.

Leena Maree Anderson, 56, has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of stealing, allegedly committed through a series of unapproved transactions at MyState branches in New Town and Glenorchy from October 2012 to January 2013.

Giving evidence in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Ms Anderson’s former partner, Craig Moon, denied ever granting Ms Anderson authority to withdraw sums of cash during the relevant period, or ever receiving large quantities of $100 notes from her.

During cross-examination by Crown prosecutor, Ian Arendt, Mr Moon told the court he first learnt about the withdrawals four years after they occurred, when the information came to light during a conversation with police.

Mr Moon said that although he recalled signing a form allowing the accused to access his bank account, the permission had been granted solely for Ms Anderson to collect his regular disability pension payments on his behalf.

The alleged victim also testified that it was not until 2016 that he became aware that a $100,388 disability claim had been deposited into his account several years prior.

Mr Moon said that when visiting his superannuation fund’s office seeking an update on his 2011 application for a total and permanent disability payout, he was shocked to hear the matter was long settled.

“The kind lady said I had already been paid,” the complainant said.

“I said ‘That is ridiculous … and I am appalled this is happening to me right now’.”

Under questioning from defence lawyer, Greg Richardson, Mr Moon agreed that he and Ms Anderson had once had an arrangement to be married, and admitted the union had ended permanently in December 2015 after he assaulted her inside their shared home.

But Mr Moon denied a suggestion from Mr Richardson that, facing inevitable police charges from the incident, he had later phoned Ms Anderson threatening “ to get her back” for his impending legal predicament.

“I don’t know why you would say that because I would never say such a thing,” Mr Moon responded.

Mr Richardson then took Mr Moon through the separate sums Ms Anderson is alleged to have stolen, asking whether he authorised his then-partner to withdraw three amounts to cover a prospective boat purchase, $4000 for wedding and engagement rings from Prouds jewellers, $7000 to book a wedding venue near Richmond, $4000 to cover a motorbike and associated safety gear, and $19,000 cash to be used for living expenses.

Mr Moon denied authorising any transactions, and also rejected an assertion that an $8000 withdrawal matched bank documentation for a term deposit of the same amount, that was found in his chest of drawers.

The trial, before Justice Helen Wood, continues.

Woman denies fleecing partner of $100k following insurance payout

INITIAL: The former partner and carer of a Tasmanian man who received a substantial disability insurance payout in 2012 has faced court accused of making multiple unauthorised cash withdrawals from his bank account totalling $106,000.

Leena Maree Anderson, 56, has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of stealing, which allegedly took place at MyState branches in Hobart from October 2012 to January 2013.

Prosecutors allege that Ms Anderson used her authority as a cosignatory to her partner’s account to facilitate withdraw cash amounts ranging between $4000 and $25,000 during visits to branches in Glenorchy and New Town.

On Tuesday in the Supreme Court, senior MyState fraud officer Cindy Mayne gave evidence that Ms Anderson’s driver’s licence details and signature were recorded several times during the period on threshold transaction reports, which are generated for withdrawals exceeding $10,000.

Ms Mayne said withdrawal receipts relating to the transactions indicated the cash amounts had typically been delivered by tellers in $100 denominations.

When asked whether she had ever been contacted by the account holder regarding the transactions, Ms Mayne recounted a phone conversation in which the alleged victim had called up seeking clarity on a number of withdrawals.

The court also heard from Wrest Point Casino’s head of security, Brett Jones, who gave evidence relating to the changes in turnover recorded on Ms Anderson’s electronic gaming machine card during late 2012.

Mr Jones said that casino records showed that while Ms Anderson’s pokies card turned over just over $1000 in September of that year, the figure jumped to $30,000 in October, was $95,000 in December, and had been $53,000 in January 2013.

The trial, before Justice Helen Wood, continues.

Originally published as Partner ordered me to withdraw thousands from his account, stealing accused tells jury