Brisbane court worker resorted to fraud, theft to feed gambling habit

1 week ago 8

A erstwhile nationalist servant accused of defrauding the Department of Justice portion helium worked successful the courts has been sentenced implicit his misuse of laptops containing perchance delicate information.

Brandon Kenneth Frances, 28, pleaded blameworthy connected Tuesday to 3 counts of fraud and 5 counts of stealing.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court heard Frances, who had worked for the courts for astir six years, had taken the laptops to 3 antithetic Cash Converters stores connected aggregate occasions successful 2022 and 2023.

Defence barrister Jack Kennedy told the tribunal the laptops were utilized to get short-term loans to alteration Frances to proceed gambling.

“It was $120 each time. But the existent magnitude was $120 per transaction, which was past repaid connected his wage day,” Kennedy told the court.

He said his lawsuit had issues with gambling, successful peculiar sports betting. He started erstwhile helium was 18, and, astatine times, was up to $40,000 successful debt.

Kennedy said Frances was remorseful for his actions, and was a bully idiosyncratic with nary transgression history.

“It appears gambling was conscionable thing helium tried to usage to quell the stresses wrong his life,” helium said.

During sentencing, Magistrate Ross Mack said helium needed to see deterrence, successful enactment with assemblage expectations.

“The magnitude of wealth progressive is not excessively much, $120 each time. But successful enactment with the priorities of the condemnation – that is, deterrence and denunciation – successful my view, determination needs to beryllium a marker to supply wide deterrence,” Mack said.

He added that Frances was intelligibly struggling with his inability to halt gambling, and, arsenic idiosyncratic moving successful a classified presumption successful the Justice Department, would person been alert of the consequences.

He said that portion the worth of the stolen spot was not great, the “contents were rather significant”.

“It seems wide capable that you were ne'er resisting the charges and, to that extent, I deliberation that’s a reflection of your co-operation,” Mack said, noting, however, that Frances had not participated successful a recorded constabulary interview.

Mack sentenced Frances to 12 months’ jail, wholly suspended, and 200 hours of assemblage service.