KINGSWOOD MAN LEARNS HIS FATE AFTER BEING HIT WITH FRAUD CHARGES

A Kingswood man who fraudulently purchased 21 rolls of paircoil from a refrigeration and air-conditioning wholesaler has been fined almost $6000.

Bryce Easton, 26, fronted Penrith Local Court on Thursday, March 30, charged with seven counts of ‘dishonestly obtain property by deception’.

It is alleged that he used his former employer’s business account to purchase $8010 worth of copper coil after falling on hard times in 2022.

Easton attended the Penrith branch of Actrol where he pretended to be back working with Safair and needed three boxes of paircoil for a job.

According to a lengthy set of police facts, he provided a fraudulent purchase order number and charged the product to their business account.

Staff then processed the order and helped Easton take the products to his black hatchback parked outside.

Court documents reveal that, over four days, Easton attended a number of Actrol and Metalflex branches where staff believed the orders were legitimate and processed them without an issue.

On February 8, 2022, Safair’s office manager noticed the suspicious invoices and raised their concerns with the branch managers.

The manager, who discovered that the six invoices were fraudulent, reviewed the CCTV footage and found that Easton was the person collecting the items.

According to police facts, Easton listed his own home on the first invoice but used the name of a current employee on the following five.

According to a set of agreed facts tendered to the court, Easton declined to participate in an electronically recorded interview in relation to the fraud allegations, stating that he wished to receive legal advice prior to speaking further with police.

Police agreed to the request but later found that he had flown to Western Australia to live with his father.

with Daniel McKinnon WW48104

On Thursday, Easton’s lawyer told the court that his client is quite remorseful and is a person of otherwise good character.

He told the court that Easton had come out of a long-term relationship with his high school sweetheart and felt more pressure to be able to provide for his child.

“Hardship led him to make decisions that he otherwise would not have made,” he told Magistrate Gregory Moore.

In sentencing, the magistrate took into account his lack of criminal record.

Easton was fined $5900 and ordered to pay $8010 in compensation to his victim.

– Makayla Muscat

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