Melissa Browne convicted of stealing from her aunt to buy BMW wagon

An elderly couple trusted their niece “with all our hearts” — only for her to tip them off to the tune of $60,000 to buy a new BMW.

Browne was sentenced in the County Court. Picture: Diego Fedele.

A Melbourne woman fleeced her elderly aunt of almost $60,000 to buy a new BMW while also receiving gifts from her unsuspecting aunt who had simply wanted to thank her for “acting as a carer” during a difficult period.

Point Cook woman Melissa Browne, 50, fronted the Melbourne County Court after pleading guilty to theft.

Browne purchased a BMW with the money. Generic image.

At the sentencing, Judge Kate Hawkins detailed how the 50-year-old was busted stealing $59,895 from her aunt’s bank accounts in 2019.

The court heard Browne was “acting as a carer to her (aunt) and her late husband”, taking them to doctors’ appointments and running errands, such as paying bills, during this period.

As part of her carer duties, she was also granted access to their online bank accounts.

Browne was caught after her aunt realised money was missing. Generic picture.

The aunt purchased Browne gifts, such as shoes, clothing and jewellery, to thank her niece, while at the same time Browne was “without her approval … (making) a series of unauthorised transactions from her accounts into your own bank accounts,” the court heard.

In 2019 Browne called the bank, pretending to be her aunt, and made six transactions from her aunt’s bank account into her own.

The day after she made these transactions, Browne purchased a white 2019 BMW wagon worth $63,895.

She was caught after her aunt realised money was missing from their accounts and made the sickening realisation her niece had stolen it.

Browne was sentenced at the County Court. Picture: Diego Fedele.

In a victim impact statement, Brown’s aunt told the court how she and her late husband had “trusted Melissa with all our hearts”.

Since learning of her niece’s “betrayal”, she had lived with anxiety, depression and stress — all compounded by the loss of her husband, the court heard.

Judge Hawkins further detailed how Brown had stolen the money while her uncle was unwell.

“In their time of vulnerability they placed significant trust in you by giving you access to bank accounts containing substantial funds,” Judge Hawkins said.

The court heard how Browne had a difficult upbringing and has suffered from chronic pain and arthritis after being in a car accident when she was 18.

Browne, who received the Disability Support Pension as a result of this crash, had also been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and depression.

She has paid her aunt back in full since the offending.

Browne was convicted and sentenced to an 18-month CCO.