Botanic Ridge plumber used stolen card belonging to former employer to buy timber for table
A SACKED plumber kept a work business card so he could illegally buy timber to build a table, a court has heard.
South East
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A SACKED plumber kept a work business card so he could illegally buy timber to build a table, a court has heard.
Dean Zahra pleaded guilty to one theft and four obtain property by deception charges at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The court heard the 31-year-old plumber was dismissed by his former employer for unrelated reasons in May 2016.
His boss then went to Zahra’s Botanic Ridge home and asked for the return of a fuel card and a store card used to buy supplies.
Zahra did give back the fuel pass, but denied any knowledge of the other card.
A few days later he went on a small spending splurge at Bunnings stores in Cranbourne and Keysborough, racking up around $350 on the card he said he didn’t have.
The employer soon realised the company was still being charged and tried to contact Zahra, leaving messages with him.
But he never returned his calls, so the boss went to the police.
A review of CCTV footage placed Zahra at the places when the items were purchased.
A police search of his house in July 2016 uncovered the timber, and also the clothes he was wearing when he bought the wood.
When interviewed he said he was still owed money by his former employer so used the card to buy timber to build a table for himself.
Representing himself in court, Zahra said he felt he was entitled to the purchases because of outstanding money he had not been repaid.
Magistrate Barry Schultz said “there were two sides to a story” but Zahra shouldn’t have used someone else’s card to buy items.
He was given a 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered to pay $350 to the court fund, with no conviction recorded.