A court has heard a gambling addiction led to an Ararat man using social media and online marketplaces to scam victims out of thousands of dollars.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Aaron Taylor, 32, appeared at Ararat Magistrates' Court via videolink on Friday, January 21, and pleaded guilty to 24 charges including obtaining property by deception, obtaining financial advantage by deception and theft.
Between March and June 2019, Taylor advertised items including Apple watches and iPhones on Gumtree and Facebook.
The court heard victims would pay for items but would never receive the goods.
READ MORE:
On June 23, 2019, Taylor was arrested and taken to Warracknabeal Police Station and interviewed.
In a separate incident, Taylor also scammed 14 victims out of money by posing as a seller in an Australian coin trading group on Facebook in April 2021.
A police prosecutor told the court that the victims were deprived of more than $5000, with the most significant single payment being $760.
In a final matter, the court heard that on April 7, 2021, Taylor stole $3200 from a friend he was staying with after utilising access to the victim's online banking account.
Taylor was arrested on April 20, 2021, and a search warrant was executed on two bank accounts.
Whilst on bail, Taylor advertised a set of coins on Gumtree under a different name on September 12, 2021, scamming another victim out of $388 sent to an ING bank account.
On November 8, 2021, Taylor was arrested after disclosing the crime to the police.
Nick Tsekinis, Taylor's lawyer, told the court that his client had suffered from a gambling addiction "since he was 18" and that the crimes were a means to obtain funds for gambling.
Mr Tsekinis told the court that Taylor had an intellectual disability and actively engaged with an NDIS behavioural support program.
Magistrate Michael McNamara sentenced Taylor to a two-year undertaking with conviction and ordered he pay restitution to his victims.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the region, sign up here.