Pakenham panel beater, ex-partner, her mum and mate avoid jail over car insurance scam
A family-run scam to rip off car insurance companies with a friend by making false claims in Melbourne’s southeast all went awry after a fake carjacking went wrong. Here’s how.
South East
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A family-run fraud racket involving fake car insurance claims — which included a pretend carjacking — has ended up in court, with all four players walking away with community work.
The con — comprising a crooked panel beater, his former girlfriend, her mum and a mate — consisted of a series of dodgy demands to pay for repair work that was never done.
Their scams came unstuck when police investigated a false carjacking and discovered there had been a series of claims made at the same panel beating companies between March, 2014 and July, 2018.
Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard on July 9 the deceptions involved insurance businesses paying out for bogus crashes that never happened in Narre Warren, Cranbourne North, Hampton Park and even in Dubbo, NSW.
The panel beater, 33-year-old Dean Petric, ran Melbourne Prestige Auto Repair Centre in Hampton Park and D and S Auto Body in Pakenham.
His former partner, Dominique Dall’asen, 28, worked in insurance claims, while her mum, nurse Kim Rattle, 52, helped facilitate some of the offending.
Petric’s mate, Monawar Haidarie, 22, was instrumental in the fake carjacking crime.
Court documents reveal police responded to an alleged aggravated carjacking involving Haidairie in Cranbourne North on July 22 last year.
But it became apparent during a police probe that his report was false and an attempt to get insurance money.
The incident was linked to Petric’s smash repair businesses and police subsequent uncovered several previous suspect claims.
These involved the players concocting fictitious accounts of crashes and Petric’s companies false quoting to receive money for work not done.
Rattle’s defence lawyer said the aged care nurse was involved in only one of the crimes, and she had concerns over a conviction.
Dall’asen’s representative said she had worked at the repair business and participated because she was “too accommodating”.
Haidarie’s lawyer said their client was young and his involvement showed a level of “stupidity”, but he had good prospects of rehabilitation.
Petric’s defence lawyer said their client had already suffered severely financially because he had lost his integrity in the car-repairing industry.
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Magistrate Tara Hartnett said if the quartet had any relevant history they would have been jailed.
“It was something like a racket, it had a degree of sophistication, a degree of organisation,” Ms Hartnett said.
All four were given 12-month community corrections orders and convicted, except Rattle, who was spared but ordered to do 70 hours of unpaid work.
Haidarie has to perform 150 hours of work, Dall’asen must do 120 hours and repay just under $30,000 in compensation while Petric has 170 hours of work and has to refund nearly $37,000.