Scoundrel ex Melbourne estate agent Hayley Philpot jailed for stealing from elderly victim: Court
An ex-Melbourne estate agent stole almost $100,000 which she blew on a shopping spree including Nando’s and Deliveroo orders.
Outer East
Don't miss out on the headlines from Outer East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A former Melbourne estate agent who stole $100,000 to fund a shopping spree and pay off bikies who were after her brother has been jailed.
Hayley Philpot, 29, was sentenced to a three-month jail term after pleading guilty to stealing money and dishonestly use a power of attorney.
Philpot had appealed the “lenient” three-month jail term she copped in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in April but abandoned her appeal at the County Court on Tuesday.
Philpot, of Coolaroo, worked as an agent at Savoy Real Estate Yarra Glen when she zeroed in on her 80-year-old victim in 2019.
The magistrates’ court heard Philpot helped sell the victim’s Yarra Glen home and then assisted in relocating the victim and her husband to a nursing home.
Philpot, who was made a power of attorney for the victim, misused her position to siphon the victim’s cash into her own accounts.
Philpot rinsed $98,844 from her victim via 98 transactions between May 2020 and August 2021.
Philpot blew her victim’s much-needed cash on various items, including an Apple iPhone and a MacBook.
Philpot also spent big at various hair and beauty salons and boutiques, high-end Zara fashion stores, JB Hi-Fi, Kmart, Bunnings and Kookai and burned dough on Uber rides, Deliveroo orders and Nando’s meals.
The fraudster also splurged on car repairs, pet accessories, various cafes and restaurants, eBay purchases, bottle shops and movie tickets.
Philpot, of Flemington, also transferred more than $50,000 to another account in her name.
Philpot’s offending came unstuck after the victim engaged a lawyer to find out how her money had vanished.
Police arrested Philpot in February 2022 but the crooked agent made “no admissions” to the theft racket.
The court heard Philpot, a mother, claimed she took money because her brother needed $40,000 to pay off a “bikie gang debt”.
Philpot, who grew up in Wagga Wagga, was 34 weeks’ pregnant at the time she was sentenced but had since given birth.
The prosecution in the magistrates’ hearing called for Philpot to be jailed.
“This is the most egregious breach of the (power of attorney) provision,” the prosecution submitted.
“This involved an 80-year-old woman who had no family support and who herself was supporting an elderly husband with dementia …
“ (Philpot) would’ve been aware of the duty of trust … (Philpot) deliberately obtained without conscience and exploited the vulnerability of the victim to steal her much needed funds at the time … as most needed for (victim) and her husband at the twilight of their life …
“Trust was a critical element … the victim, she will not financially recover from this … our
Judge Pradeep Tiwana said, during an earlier hearing, Philpot’s offending “represents an appalling breach of trust”.
“It’s difficult to comprehend (Philpot) would commit this kind of offending against an elderly victim who was struggling as it was, dealing with her husband with dementia …,” Judge Tiwana said.
“She was aware of all that … and I have to say, if anything, the sentence was lenient … (the defence) would’ve faced a real struggle … I would’ve been sending her in now …
“I don’t want to be sending the wrong message that I’ll defer the sentence on the basis that you pay … the outcome (going to jail) would be very different …”
Berwick man killed in crash remembered as ‘child at heart’
Friends of a Berwick man who died in a tragic crash in Yellingbo have remembered the car lover as being “like a brother” and a “child at heart”.
How big business is being beaten in the bush
Small communities across Victoria are standing tall against big businesses trying to muscle into their main streets. See how they are winning the David and Goliath battles.