Community work for 123 frauds

Press, 19 December 1986, Page 7

Community work for 123 frauds

Because full restitution would be made, a man who faced sentence in the District Court yesterday on 123 charges of fraud, was sentenced to 100 hours community work. This sentence was imposed by Judge Fraser on Louis Desmond Mac Neill, aged 32, a self-employed renovator. Mac Neill was found guilty by a jury of 79 charges of using cheques to obtain a pecuniary advantage. He pleaded guilty to another 44 similar offences. The offences involved presenting and cashing cheques for nearly $13,000 to make purchases from more than 40 shops and businesses. Defence counsel, Mr C. M. Ruane, sought a sentence of community worjc. He said the final figure of reparation would be

between $lO,OOO and $12,000. This figure would be finalised when account was taken of property recovered, and cheque transactions from which Mac Neill received nothing. Mr Ruane said $lO,OOO of restitution was already in hand from the defendant.

The Judge upheld consel’s request for a sentence of community work. He said the number of offences, and amount involved, could be a special circumstance warranting consideration of a custodial sentence.

However, a community work sentence was appropriate because substantial reparation would be made. In addition to the community service, the Judge ordered reparation of the agreed sum still to be finalised.