Lachlan Tre-Weekane: Clyde thief stole 5 cars in Gumtree, Facebook scams
A drugged-up Clyde crook had been out of prison just weeks before he went back to his ice-addled, thieving ways and used an online scam to steal cars.
South East
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A 22-year-old druggie thief with a 13-page rap sheet who scammed five online car sellers out of their vehicles just weeks after getting out of jail faces another lengthy stint behind bars.
Lachlan Tre-Weekane ripped off people selling their rides on Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace after they mistakenly believed the money had been paid into their bank accounts.
Screenshots and balances would ‘prove’ the cash was in the seller’s account, only for the money to disappear a short while later when the bank realised there was something wrong with the ‘blank cheque’ that had been deposited.
While he was good at hiding his fake funds Tre-Weekane wasn’t so sharp at concealing the nicked vehicles, leaving one in his driveway and another parked on his front lawn.
The ice addict also crashed a stolen ute on the Monash Freeway, causing another car to flip on its side, before getting in a mate’s stolen sedan and leaving the scene.
The Clyde crook was sentenced to jail last year after an attempted armed robbery went wrong, and got out in late September.
He was then given a community corrections order but by November he was back at his thieving best, iced-up and stealing cars.
Tre-Weekane pleaded guilty to a raft of theft and driving charges at the online Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard in November and December last year he ‘bought’ five cars online.
On November 25 he picked up a Holden ute for $1500, with the money transferred into the seller’s account after Tre-Weekane had deposited a blank cheque.
At the time of pick up the seller checked his account and the money was indeed there, but later that day the cash disappeared.
On November 28 he did a similar thing to buy a $10,250 Ford sedan from Gumtree, and the same MO was use to steal another Holden ute, this one worth $13,000, on December 5.
A day after he scammed a $12,000 Holden Calais from a Facebook Marketplace seller, and on December 8 a $16,000 Holden ute was taken.
A day after that police paid him a visit and saw two of the nicked vehicles at his home, but he wasn’t there.
He was arrested the following day, with more blank cheques found.
His defence lawyer said his client, who had issues with ice, was “very much the author of his own wrongdoing”.
He said it was “fast dawning on him” he needed to change or he would be living a “very sad existence” in and out of prison over the next few years.
He said he accepted he would be spending a fair bit longer in jail for this offending.
Tre-Weekane was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on March 9.
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