Surf clubs boss Matthew Hanks told ‘sea of lies’ over $2m fraud

Former Surf Life Saving NSW boss Matthew Hanks has told a “sea of lies” as he tries to justify scamming the organisation of almost $2 million, the District Court was told today.

Former Surf Life Saving NSW boss Matthew Hanks has told a “sea of lies” as he tries to justify scamming the organisation of almost $2 million, the District Court was told today.

Hanks, 52, has pleaded guilty to six counts of defrauding the beloved volunteer organisation over eight years.

But despite earning a $200,000 salary, he has said he did a lot of work for them in his own time and was recouping some of those costs as he rorted their printing work, their car fleet and even paid a $121,000 government grant into his own mortgage account.

Crown prosecutor Jot Mehta told he court that Hanks, who secretly sold 24 of the organisation’s cars to family and friends, couldn’t use the time he spent defrauding the charity as justification for time for which he should have been paid.

Former Surf Life Saving NSW boss Matthew Hanks.

Mr Mehta said Hanks had told a “sea of lies” and had used the opportunities of being a trusted employee for eight years with virtually no oversight.

“It was for greed,” Mr Mehta said.

The prosecution and the defence are arguing over the facts of the case behind the pleas of guilty.

He has pleaded guilty to defrauding SLS NSW of $400,000 through invoicing their printing work to his own company See Hear Speak but subcontracting it out to cheaper operators.

Hanks had a history in the printing business but as general manager, he should have been overseeing the organisation’s printing work anyway and couldn’t expect to charge more for that, Mr Mehta said.

The mark-up was between 200 and 300 per cent.

Hanks has also admitted pocketing $1.318 million by using inflated invoices and other shady deals when buying and selling 55 of the organisation’s fleet of cars. Mr Mehta said he could not use the excuse that he spent a lot of his own time making them presentable for sale.

Former Surf Life Saving NSW boss Matthew Hanks leaves Wollongong Local Court at an earlier hearing. Picture: Madeline Crittenden.

“We know that 24 of those cars went to family and friends so any time he spent on weekends selling those cars were with people he would have been spending time with anyway,” Mr Mehta said.

Hanks used the money to fund a millionaire’s lifestyle with two Northern Beaches mansions and a $490,000 yacht. Records show he still owns one of the homes in Newport although he now lives in Wollongong.

Hanks has claimed he only moved the $121,000 of the government grant left over from building works at Port Macquarie SLSC into his own account to get it off the books and meant to pay it back.

Hank’s counsel, Chris McGorey, said Hanks was not the “puppet master” the prosecution made out but admitted he had been wrong.

“He has pleaded guilty and there is no question about his wrongdoing,” Mr McGorey said.

Hanks remains on bail. A Supreme Court civil case brought against him by SLSNSW has been settled out of court.

Judge John Pickering adjourned the case to November 5 to deliver his decision on the facts on which Hanks will then later be sentenced.