Mt Cotton’s William Robert Wilson commits fraud with credit cards stolen from Commonwealth Bank

A “deeply ashamed” man has pleaded guilty to stealing credit cards from his bank manager wife’s office after seeing an “easy opportunity”.

A 59-year-old man with no criminal history has used credit cards he stole from his Commonwealth Bank manager wife’s office to commit nearly $2,000 in fraud on 29 occasions over three years, a court has heard.

“Unbelievably remorseful and deeply ashamed” William Robert Wilson appeared at Cleveland Magistrates Court on February 25 where he pleaded guilty to three counts of stealing, 29 counts of fraud, two counts of attempted fraud and one count of possess dangerous drugs.

Unemployed after a 2017 workplace accident, the former Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) facilities manager saw an “easy opportunity” to steal credit cards from his wife’s office at a Commonwealth Bank branch in order to “contribute to the household”, the court heard.

The defendant’s wife had no knowledge of her husband’s pilfering, which occurred when he collected the bank manager at the end of business hours, the court heard.

Currently working as a warehouse manager Mount Cotton man Wilson used credit cards belonging to three victims to purchase groceries, beer and other items in 2018, 2019 and last year form a host of Redlands businesses which included Mount Cotton IGA, Capalaba Bunnings, Capalaba Target and Coles and Woolworths in Victoria Point.

William Wilson steals credit cards from Commonwealth Bank. Generic image used. Picture: Hollie Adams/The Australian

With much of his offending captured on CCTV the prosecution said authorities had been after Wilson since 2018 but could not locate him due to his lack of criminal history.

His run of “quite cunning” offending, which included using one credit card on 20 occasions on one day, would come to an end when a sharp-eyed store clerk noted his suspicious behaviour of rifling through different credit cards to purchase items at the Mount Cotton BWS.

After his vehicle registration was reported to police, officers attended Wilson’s residence from where his unsuspecting wife summoned him.

Defence solicitor Tanya Dower said her client viewed his decision to steal the cards as “the biggest mistake of his life”.

Ms Dower said Wilson had been married for 20 years, had ruptured discs in his back at work in 2017 and had suffered mental health strain thereafter, for which he was seeing a psychologist.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta marvelled at the man’s “jaw-droppingly stupid” behaviour.

“I can’t believe you did not think that you would be caught,” Magistrate Vasta said.

The magistrate said Wilson would also suffer the accompanying “shame and guilt” of knowing he placed his wife in a tenuous position at her workplace, through his “spur of the moment” offending.

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The defendant was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and ordered to complete 60 hours of community service.

Wilson was also ordered to pay $1,896.94 in restitution.

No convictions were recorded.