Kyle Wadley: Launceston man swiped $155,000 on Facebook
A young Tasmanian man doctored receipts to take more than $155,000 worth of goods on Facebook Marketplace, including cars, motorbikes and tools. He used the items to pay off drug debts.
Police & Courts
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A young Tasmanian man furnished doctored receipts to take carriage of more than $155,000 worth of goods on Facebook Marketplace, including cars, motorbikes, electronics and tools, using the ill-gotten gains to pay off drug debts.
Launceston man Kyle James Wadley, 23, was sentenced in Launceston Magistrates Court on Monday on 76 charges committed between January 2022 and his arrest and remand in pre-sentence custody on September 29 last year.
The majority of offences were committed in August and September. While the majority of charges consisted of dishonestly acquiring a financial advantage, stealing and breach of bail, he also pleaded guilty to a string of burglaries, escaping custody, traffic and drug offences.
The court was told Wadley furnished doctored bank receipts to take carriage of more than $155,000 worth of goods. All bar a motorcycle were never recovered. Wadley attempted to flog an additional $50,000 worth of goods but the vendor wised up to the dishonesty before handing over their belongings.
Wadley’s modus operandi was to contact people via Facebook Marketplace, organise to buy their item, then send through a doctored bank transfer receipt as proof of purchase.
Between September 17 – 26, Wadley took carriage of tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of goods, including motorbikes, a phone, a watch, a drone kit, motorcycle parts and an Xbox, using the same strategy.
At times, he would offer to pay above the asking price to have the vendor deliver the items to him. At others, he would ask if there were additional goods he could purchase, providing fake transfer receipts to swipe them also.
On one brazen occasion, after picking up a motorbike he had not paid for, he asked the vendor and received $200 cash in exchange for a $250 bank transfer, which never eventuated.
Defence lawyer Fran McCracken told the court her client, who had essentially no criminal record, relapsed into drug use in early 2021, particularly methamphetamine.
It was accepted by the court that the motivation for Wadley’s dishonesty-type offending was paying off drug debts he had accrued.
The court heard Wadley, since being behind bars, had not used drugs and reconnected with his family, who remained supportive of him.
Wadley was jailed for 20 months, backdated to September 28, 2022. Half the sentence, 10 months, will be suspended for an operational period of 18 months, conditional on Wadley complying with a drug treatment order for the period of suspension.
In addition, he was fined $2600, ordered to pay levies of $1160, and disqualified from driving for nine months. He will also need to pay compensation to all those left out of pocket by his offending.
Everybody appearing at Hobart Magistrates Court, Wednesday, July 30
Here is a list of people appearing at Hobart Magistrates Court on July 30.
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