Sydney woman expected to serve home detention for fraud and identity theft
An eight-month pregnant woman who stole another woman’s identity and opened multiple bank accounts in her name is expected to serve a three-year sentence at home.
St George Shire Standard
Don't miss out on the headlines from St George Shire Standard. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An eight-month pregnant woman who stole another woman’s identity and opened multiple bank accounts in her name is expected to serve a three-year sentence at home.
Carss Park woman Bethany Connolly, 28, tried to avoid the media outside Sutherland Local Court this week after she learnt she would likely spend years inside the comfort of her own house rather than in jail due to the birth of her baby due next month.
Police began investigating Connelly after a woman reported to police she had received letters from two banks confirming accounts had been opened in her name – which she knew nothing about.
They then discovered Connolly had opened multiple bank accounts in the woman’s name, and spent thousands of dollars in the victim’s name for her own benefit. She had used a fraudulent $3000 loan to pay for Uber Eats, an iPhone and rideshare trips.
The former project manager pleaded guilty to seven offences in February after police connected the IP address used to open the bank accounts in the woman’s name to her and discovered the connected cards in her phone’s Apple Pay wallet.
In court on Thursday, Magistrate Philip Stewart told Connolly the seriousness of her conduct sat in the “middle of the range” but noted she had taken steps towards her rehabilitation.
He said he would give further remarks when he formally sentenced her on June 24 after the home detention assessment report had been prepared.
Agreed police facts tendered to Sutherland Local Court state Connolly used the woman’s name, birthdate, driver’s licence and passport – plus her own phone number and an email address she created – to open a Bankwest account on June 11 2020.
The next day Connolly used the same information – plus what appeared to be the woman’s pay slips – to open an account with National Australia Bank and take out a $3000 loan.
“The pay slip details the victim’s name and address but the records are incorrect,” police state.
“The victim did not work at the location for the dates on the pay slip, and the earnings are incorrect and significantly more than what the victim was earning.
“Police allege the accused has used the false pay slip for the purpose of being granted a loan, which she then used and financially benefited from.”
From June 12 to June 15, Connolly activated a Telstra sim in the victim’s name and made multiple transactions from the Bankwest account amounting to $528.49, which included Uber trips to and from her address as well as food via Uber Eats.
“Between June 13 and June 21, the accused made 41 transactions at various locations around the Sutherland and St George area on the NAB account,” police state.
“These transactions totalled $2993.16, where the loan amount for the account was $3000.”
CCTV captured the moment Connolly used Apple Pay connected to the fraudulent account to help someone known to her purchase an iPhone 12 costing $1349.
When the victim alerted police to the identity theft, police then discovered Connolly’s IP address had been involved in the successful attempts to open bank accounts in the victim’s name.
“It was clear that the accused was involved in dealing with the victim’s identity information for fraudulent purposes,” police state.
Police swooped on Connolly after they watched her drive away from her Carss Park address to a nearby petrol station while her licence was expired.
“She informed police ‘I paid my fines so it should be good’,” police state.
“Checks revealed that on March 15 she was stopped by police and issued an infringement at this time for driving with an expired licence.”
A search warrant conducted at Connolly’s address while she was in police custody and later in hospital due to illness connected to her pregnancy revealed “diaries with different details for several people along with several electronic devices, including SIM cards and USBs”.
“Police also accessed the accused’s phone, which contained various bank details for different people,” police state.
Connolly was charged with three counts of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence, one count of using a false document to obtain a financial advantage, two counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception and one count of driving with an expired licence.
At Sutherland Local Court on February 17, Connolly further pleaded guilty to possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence and possessing suspected stolen goods in 2020 – charges she had initially planned to defend at a hearing.
Meet the talented young artists from ARTEXPRESS 2025
The annual art exhibition which shows some of the most outstanding and exemplary artworks across NSW by HSC visual arts students has opened. Meet the students and see their amazing works.
Australian swimmers and SailGP team’s unique exchange
Two of Australia’s leading sports teams - SailGPs Flying Roos and the Dolphins - are collaborating in a hunt for “little gems” to deliver lucrative triumphs on the water and Olympic medals in it.