Brandon Lee Carlaw used a St Vincent de Paul credit card on a 3-day spending spree
A homeless man visited 21 shops during a three-day spending spree on a credit card belonging to a St Vincent de Paul employee.
Bundaberg
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A man went on a spending spree with a credit card belonging to the St Vincent de Paul charity, a court heard on Thursday.
Appearing from custody via videolink, Brandon Lee Carlaw pleaded guilty before Bundaberg Magistrates Court for offences including 21 charges of fraud and one public nuisance offence.
The court heard that after finding a credit card belonging to an employee of St Vincent de Paul, Carlaw spent a total of $1,875.23 using the card over a three-day period ending on February 2, 2023.
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Carlaw, aged 24, purchased goods including food, tobacco, cigarettes and alcohol through 106 transactions at 21 different shops around Bundaberg.
Court documents show that the largest transaction was $585.80 at a pub in Bundaberg Central.
The pub’s staff contacted police after they noticed that Carlaw was using a credit card that did not belong to him, following which he was arrested at the pub.
When in custody, police identified Carlaw as the suspect wanted for questioning in relation to a public nuisance incident that took place shortly before he started on the spending spree.
Police prosecutor Carl Spargo told the court that on January 25, Carlaw was seen sitting on a bench outside a shop in Bundaberg Central looking at a female shop employee and “rubbing his groin in a manner consistent with masturbating”.
Carlaw’s behaviour made the employee “extremely uncomfortable” and she called police, who obtained footage of the incident from CCTV cameras.
Sgt Spargo told the court that earlier in the same day Carlaw had appeared at a Bundaberg courthouse in relation to drug offences, for which he had received a suspended sentence.
Carlaw’s lawyer told the court that Carlaw was born and raised in Bundaberg but had been intermittently homeless since 2021.
The court heard that Carlaw’s behaviour derived in part from his use of drugs, including methamphetamines and cannabis.
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“You have caused a significant financial detriment to the St Vincent de Paul Society, … a charity who assist … people who are at risk of homelessness,” said magistrate Edwina Rowan.
“You yourself … have been at risk of homelessness.”
Carlaw was sentenced to eight months jail, with a parole release date of May 31, 2023.
On being released on parole, he will be placed on six months probation.
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Originally published as Brandon Lee Carlaw used a St Vincent de Paul credit card on a 3-day spending spree
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