Darren Raymond Wilks pleads guilty to dishonestly obtaining property by deception

A serial conman used fake cheques to buy a $40,000 vehicle – but was caught red handed by the buyer’s son. See the latest from court.

Darren Raymond Wilks outside Hornsby Local Court.

A serial conman - who was sent to jail almost 10 years ago for using fake cheques to buy items - has now been caught red handed once again.

Darren Raymond Wilks, 54, pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining property by deception and disposing a property (theft – serious indictable offence – over $5000).

Wilks was convicted to a total of 87 prior fraud charges in his past, court documents reveal.

Police facts state the Taree man attended a property in Canoelands between September and October last year to purchase a Backhoe Loader.

Facts state Wilks used a fraudulent NAB cheque to buy the loader for $41,800.

An example of a loader.

On several occasions after the sale, the victim tried contacting Wilks, who told him not to deposit the cheque as the “money wasn’t there yet”, according to police facts.

The victim’s son found the very same loader listed for sale on September 26 in Taree.

A day later, the victim’s son bought the loader for $20,000 from the conman on behalf of his father.

As of November 21, Wilks was unreachable with the victim left thousands out of pocket.

When approached by police, Wilks denied buying the loader, providing a fraudulent cheque, and denied selling the loader or dealing with the victim’s son.

Wilks wrote fake cheques to acquire thousands of dollars in property.

The Daily Examiner reported in 2004 that Wilks used the same old tricks to deceive sellers and served an 18-month prison sentence as a result from Grafton District Court.

At the time, Wilks paid for goods and services using fake cheques, a caravan before falsely paying towing companies to transport the caravan to different locations at coastal retreats around the Clarence Valley.

Wilks bought a computer and accommodation at an Iluka holiday home, an electric generator and decorative water fountain from Maclean and even a haircut and hair products as well as a new mobile phone at Kempsey.

His spending spree came to an end when police arrested him outside the caravan he illegally purchased two weeks earlier.

Wilks had used 26 cheques from the book and close to $12,000 worth of goods and services had been purchased.

Wilks will be sentenced on August 21.