Kyabram grifter Timothy Gordon Davey, 33, stole $200k from Telstra in two year scam to support gaming addiction

A degenerate Kyabram dad has been exposed after spending more than $130k on gaming after scamming nearly a quarter million from Telstra in a “sophisticated” fraud.

Timothy Davey defrauded Telstra for more than $200,000 through his job at Switched on Electronics in Ecucha.

A degenerate dad stole more than $200,000 from Telstr over a two-year period through his job where he was a “trusted employee” to support his gaming addiction.

Timothy Gordon Davey, 33, was convicted and sentenced in the County Court on Monday to a two-year community corrections order and 300 hours of community service after pleading guilty to the elaborate scam.

The Kyabram man defrauded Telstra services through his job at Switched on Electronics in Echuca between March 2020 and January 2022, the court heard.

Davey stole 30 electronic devices worth about $44,000 that he either took from the store’s stock or ordered in using his Telstra ID, that of the business owner Michael Deola and a co-worker’s before selling the stolen goods on Facebook marketplace for cash.

Timothy Davey, a father of a three-year-old son, dodged jail and will serve his sentence in his family home.

Davey also set up accounts in his wife and mother’s name alongside several fictional ones to create fraudulent device trade-ins worth about $39,000.

Using 29 fraudulent service numbers, he also ran up a bill of $132,510 on in-app purchases on the Google play store for games – shuffling the numbers around between devices to hide his activity.

Telstra launched an investigation after suspicious activity was noticed, revealing 107 incidents of theft and fraud that they traced back to Davey totalling $216,000.

When police interviewed the scammer, he confessed to what prosecutor David Cordy described as “sophisticated and sustained and deliberate offending”.

A Telstra investigation revealed a “sophisticated fraud” perpetrated by Davey. Picture: Diego Fedele

“He knew exactly what he was doing,” Mr Cordy said.

Mr Cordy argued the thief needed to spend time in prison to send a message to other would-be thieves that crime doesn’t pay.

Davey’s defence barrister Nicholas Rolfe asked for a hefty community sentence, arguing the con artist had a stable home life with a wife who supported him that was conducive to rehabilitation.

Mr Cordy argued Davey had just spent two years running a sophisticated scam while living with his wife and three-year-old son and if he was allowed to remain in that same environment there would be nothing to stop him from stealing again.

Judge Kellie Blair said the “calculated and deliberate” offending was serious, but accepted Davey was remorseful and had taken responsibility for his actions, giving him a “significant” discount on sentence for his early plea of guilty.

Judge Blair said general deterrence was of lower importance because Davey was struggling with severe mental health issues including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, finding prison would have increased his risk of self-harm.

“Imprisonment would severely impact you, exacerbating your depression, the restrictive and stressful environment of prison will intensify hour feelings of hopelessness and emotional distress, worsening your mental health,” she said.

Judge Blair also found jail would “weigh heavily” on Davey and his family, with the court finding the thief suitable for a community corrections order.

If he had not pleaded guilty, Judge Blair said Davey would have been locked up for nine months.