Anytime card frauds bring man fine

Press, 6 November 1984, Page 4

Anytime card frauds bring man fine

Fines and restitution amounting to $1959.36 were imposed in the District Court yesterday on Michael John Fielding on two charges of fraud relating to the use of a Post Office Anytime card, and a charge of theft of a stereo system valued at $1723. The defendant, aged 24, a self-employed painter and paperhanger, was appearing for sentence after having been found guilty by a jury at his trial recently on two charges of fraudulently using an Anytime card to obtain a pecuniary advantage. He was also sentenced on the theft charge after hav-

ing been given a suspended sentence for this earlier this year. The theft involved his selling a stereo system while it was on hire purchase. On the two Post Office fraud charges Judge Paterson fined the defendant $250 on each and ordered restitution totalling $4OO to the Post Office. A fine of $250, and restitution of $839.36 to Amalgamated Finance were imposed on the theft charge. The defendant was also placed on probation for 18 months, with a special condition being that his finances be placed under the control of a probation officer.

At the defendant’s trial on the fraud charges last month evidence was that he had used an Anytime card to withdraw various sums of money from his account, which went into overdraft. There had been a fault in the programming of the automatic' teller machine. Attempts by the Post Office on August 30 and September 6 to place a “hot card” in Fielding’s account because it was overdrawn failed, as the system was overloaded. The defendant told the police and said in evidence -that he did not think he would get any money if there was none in his account. When he made a withdrawal of $l7O he assumed a person who had owed him $6OO had deposited it in his account After hearing submissions by defence counsel (Miss E. H. B. Thompson), and by Mr D. J. L. Saunders, for the Crown, jthe Judge said the defendant /had exhibited i a lack of responsibility for his own and other people’s finances arid clearly required, much more control ■in these matters.