Barry James Towing director Glen Antony James sentenced at Ballarat court for invoice fraud

A Ballarat towing company director double dipped by charging Victoria Police and insurance companies for tows.

A towing vehicle from Ballarat-based Barry James Smash Repairs. Picture: Barry James Smash Repairs

The director of a Ballarat towing company defrauded insurers of more than $30,000.

Wendouree man Glen Antony James, 56, pleaded guilty at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court in August to five rolled-up charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception.

The court heard James, as a director for Barry James Smash Repairs in Ballarat Central until 2023, had a contract with Victoria Police for towing vehicles in certain scenarios, with the police liable for the cost.

Between February 2018 and April 2023, James engaged in “double-dipping” 50 times, invoicing both the police and insurers, mainly AAI, but also Allianz, Auto & General, IAG, and QBE, receiving a total of $32,084.

At another hearing on Monday, Magistrate Mark Stratmann said the offending had “undermined confidence in the business in the wider community” but that James had a “deep sense of shame and remorse over his conduct”.

He convicted and sentenced James to a 12-month community correction order involving 200 hours of community work.

James must also pay back $28,703 to five insurers.