Christopher Collins gets five-month jail sentence for fleecing six women out of $80k

A SERIAL scheming Lothario has been jailed for scamming six Melbourne women out of more than $80,000, which he blew on failed bets.

Christopher Collins has played for a string of Victorian clubs.

A SERIAL scheming Lothario has been jailed for scamming six women out of more than $80,000, which he blew on failed bets.

Well-known suburban footballer and cricketer Christopher Collins, 28, was given five months behind bars for more than 40 deception, theft, family violence and bail breach offences against women across Melbourne.

He was sentenced at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court today after earlier pleading guilty to crimes committed in Parkdale, Caulfield, Cheltenham, Dingley Village, Sunbury, Chirnside Park, Armstrong Creek and Point Cook.

The court heard the 28-year-old sportsman had been appointed a coach at Hampton Park Football Club and was a Brighton Union Cricket Club player, and blew the cash on his gambling addiction.

His offending dates back to January 2016, with his modus operandi charming women into putting huge amounts of cash into his TAB account, which he subsequently lost on bets.

He fleeced one woman of more than $40,000, and deceived others of $15,000, $9164, $8930, $4000 and $2500.

The court heard one victim told investigators she “felt manipulated; I regret ever meeting him”.

A second woman said Collins made her “feel like a piece of dirt”.

His defence lawyer said the offending was driven by a significant battle with gambling addiction, and he felt “terrible” for what he had done.

She said Collins was remorseful and he had written apology letters to his victims.

Magistrate Anne Goldsbrough slammed Collins as “probably narcissistic”.

“You had a sense of self-entitlement,” Ms Goldsbrough told Collins.

“You coerced a raft of women into supplying large amounts of money to feed your gambling.

“You have an appalling attitude to women.”

Collins was jailed for five months, minus 96 days already spent in custody, and he must perform an 18-month community corrections order upon release.

He must also pay back $82,000 to his six victims.

Collins has played cricket for a string of suburban clubs, including Williamstown CYMS, Hampton Central, Kingston Heath, St Andrews Footscray, Point Cook and Diggers Rest, as well as South Launceston and Ulverstone in Tasmania.

He had two matches for Brighton Union in 2017-18.

Collins also played football for a number of clubs, including Laverton Magpies and Albanvale.

*Hampton Park stressed tonight that the club never signed Christopher Collins.

“We were in contract negotiations with him but there was no pen put to paper,’’ a Redbacks spokesman said. “He trained with the club about four times. We were doing our due diligence on him.’’