Mark Rowson jailed for stealing identity of Nunawading’s Peter Murchie

A man who stole the identity of his lifelong, terminally ill friend to defraud him and his family of almost $300,000 has been jailed for more than five years.

Rowson used his friend’s identity to take out a loan.

A man who stole the identity of his lifelong, terminally ill friend to defraud him and his family of almost $300,000 has been jailed for more than five years.

Mark William Rowson, 51, was sentenced to 63 months, 14 days imprisonment in the County Court last week for three charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and 23 charges of theft, committed from July 2013 to November 2014.

Judge Trapnell found Rowson victimised his friend of 40 years, Peter Murchie, as he suffered from liver cirrhosis, by fraudulently taking out a loan and credit card in his name.

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“He was a vulnerable victim who trusted you,” Judge Trapnell said.

Rowson had been the best man at Mr Murchie’s wedding and had a set of keys to Mr Murchie’s house.

In August 2013 the offender mortgaged his friend’s Nunawading house using false pay slips and certified identity documents for a $175,000 loan with Macquarie Bank, which he extended by $75,000 in March 2014.

Rowson used his friend’s identity to take out a loan.

He took a credit card to the limit of $23,600 out in Mr Murchie’s name in August, attending Nunawading post office to verify his identity as Mr Murchie, while the real Mr Murchie was being treated at Box Hill Hospital.

He continued to use the stolen credit and cash when Mr Murchie was in palliative care and after his death, the court heard.

Judge Trapnell said Rowson’s motive for defrauding the $290,976 in total was to support his and his wife and two daughters’ lifestyle.

He spent $55,000 paying Melbourne Grammar School tuition fees, more than $10,000 on rent and thousands on a Queensland holiday.

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Rowson’s offending was discovered by Mr Murchie’s former wife after the victim had died.

Judge Trapnell told the court Rowson’s actions had distressed Ms Murchie and had affected her ability to grieve.

The judge said had the crimes remained undiscovered, Mr Murchie’s three daughters, who trusted Rowson, having known him all their lives, “would have been seriously financially disadvantaged”.

“The significant breach of trust you owed to your friend and his children is a significant aggravating feature of these crimes,” Judge Trapnell said.

The court heard Rowson denied any wrongdoing and demonstrated no remorse for his actions.

“You have no insight into your offending behaviour or its gravity or its effect on your victims,” Judge Trapnell said.

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The court also heard it was not first Rowson’s first offence, who had served five years in jail after pleading guilty to deception in 2006.

The former Croydon and Donvale resident had tried to defraud the Australian Taxation Office of millions using fake identities.