Jarrad Garth accused of fleecing nearly $200k from pensioner: court
A daughter has told a jury of her mother’s distress at an alleged scam that left with just a few hundred dollars to her name.
South East
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Trial day two: Friday, February 28, 2025
A daughter has told a jury of her mother’s distress at an alleged scam that left with just a few hundred dollars to her name.
Amy Kitch gave evidence in the County Court on Friday against former Mornington Peninsula landscaper Jarrad Garth, accused of obtaining $198,670 from Suzanne Reeves by deception.
Ms Kitch said after an aunt told her about her mum’s difficult financial situation in 2022, she discovered a bank statement that showed Ms Reeves had less than “a couple of hundred dollars left”.
She said her mum then told her she had lent large sums of money to Mr Garth, both in cash and bank deposits, as well as sending money to him through a taxi driver.
“She was agitated, quite distressed, confused and quite emotional,” Ms Kitch told the court.
The family was then forced to put Ms Reeves’ home on the market, she said, and move her into the Western Port Gardens Retirement Village in Bittern.
“She had to move from Balnarring as she had no money, her super and term deposits were gone, her credit card maxed out so we had to sell and move her into something smaller.”
Ms Kitch said her mum told her that Mr Garth had paid back a small amount but didn’t specify how much.
The court heard, prior to giving money to Mr Garth and before she retired, Ms Reeves had always been financially-independent and worked as a bookkeeper and other jobs.
Trial day one: Thursday, February 27, 2025
A former Mornington Peninsula landscaper allegedly fleeced a 69-year-old woman he befriended of nearly $200,000 to fuel his gambling and betting habit, a court has heard.
Jarrad Garth, 42, is on trial in the County Court after pleading not guilty to a charge of obtaining $198,670 by deception.
Prosecutor Gregory Buchhorn told the jury on Thursday that $343,680 was deposited in the 69-year-old pensioner’s bank account in early 2020 after she sold her Balnarring home and moved to Bittern.
Between February and December 2020, he said Mr Garth contacted her daily or every second day and even visited her to ask for money for various reasons such as buying fuel, food and landscaping material, pay rent, and for legal fees.
Mr Garth met the woman and forged a friendship about 2018, completing landscaping work for her.
In a police statement before she died in 2022, that was read out in court, the woman said she would lend Mr Garth thousands of dollars at a time, either in cash or bank deposits, for various reasons such as to fix his truck, to buy landscaping materials, to pay his rent and legal fees.
“I think I was lonely. Initially I felt sorry for him and I was happy to loan him some money to help him but this just got out of control,” she told police.
The woman said she lost count how much money she lent him. “It got to the stage where Jarrad would tell me that I had to lend him money so he could work and that if I didn’t lend him more money, he would not be able to pay me back the money he owed me.
“My National Australia Bank account went from a balance of $340,000 in February 2020 to $39.98 on the 26th of February, 2021. Without Jarrad Garth taking my money, I’d still be well off.”
Her daughter went to police after checking her mother’s bank balance in February 2021.
Mr Buchhorn said Mr Garth received an unemployment benefit and his bank statement showed he withdrew money and used it on gambling and betting in 2020.
However, defence lawyer Steven Anger told the jury there was no deception or dishonesty and the woman had regarded Mr Garth as her “adopted son” due to their close friendship.
He said evidence showed the woman gifted, as well as loaned, money to Mr Garth who had agreed, in writing, to repay the money when he was able.
Mornington Peninsula Criminal Investigation Unit police tracked Mr Garth to a Coffs Harbour address in early 2022.
