Douglas Gray: Fudged receipts trip up stolen tool claims
A Mildura man was able to snare thousands in insurance cash on tools he reported as stolen from his garden shed. But, as he became more greedy, his scheme started to unravel.
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Luck eventually ran out for a Mildura man who made insurance claims about missing tools from his garden shed five times over five years.
Douglas Michael Gray, 61, this week pleaded guilty to making false documents at Mildura Magistrates’ Court.
Police told the court Gray reported a chainsaw had been stolen from his garden shed in September 2013.
Gray provided his insurance company CGU with a tax invoice for the chainsaw, putting the value at $1540, and asked to be paid out instead of getting a replacement, due to his health.
Police who attended the address found no signs of forced entry.
In November 2013, Gray again reported theft from his garden shed, this time various items including a drill, nail gun and other power tools.
Once more, invoices were provided to CGU and Gray asked for the items not to be replaced.
Police found no forensic evidence at the scene.
Between August 2014 and March 2018, Gray made three further claims regarding power tools and other garden shed items with a new insurer, RACV.
Among the claims was a chainsaw said to be worth $2000.
Some of the claims included items that were the same as items CGU had previously paid out for being stolen.
Gray’s March 2018 claim was not accepted by RACV.
Investigations found the bank account listed on the tax invoices provided by Gray did not match those of Garden Land in Marysville, where the tools were supposedly bought.
Police in Marysville also confirmed no Garden Land had existed at the location listed.
Gray subsequently had an interview with a private investigator, saying the receipts were done by “an old bloke with a typewriter”.
When interviewed at Mildura police station in July last year, Gray said he had bought the tools off an unknown man at a market, not Garden Land.
His defence lawyer said Gray had “clearly” done the wrong thing.
Gray was said to have created the documents to provide some sort of amount to the insurance companies.
He looked up prices online to work out what values to use.
Magistrate Michael Coghlan requested more information about Gray’s health status before sentencing him.
The matters were adjourned to Monday.
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