Man 'used card to defraud Postßank’

Press, 19 May 1989, Page 11

Man 'used card to defraud Postßank’

A man charged with defrauding Postßank told a detective that he had played with a Postßank money machine one night when he was drunk. He subsequently obtained about $147 a week, he told the detective. Cyril Ralph Richardson

Wilson, aged 47, a news distributor, pleaded not guilty in the District Court yesterday to 19 charges of using a Postßank Linkcard with intent to defraud, to obtain a financial advantage. After the completion of the prosecution case the police, represented by Sergeant Kevin Morrison, withdrew five of the charges and Wilson pleaded guilty to the remaining 14. Judge Kean remanded him on bail to June 2 for sentence on these charges, and for a number of other offences to which he had pleaded guilty, or been found guilty, at previous appearances.

Mr Tony Garrett appeared for Wilson.

The Posßank fraud charges heard yesterday involved Wilson making withdrawals from his Postßank account, on a series of false deposits to his account, made through the use of his Linkcard.

Withdrawals of more than $lOOO, over and above the true funds he had in his account, were made during several weeks late last year. Detective Christopher Stokes gave evidence of interviewing Wilson, who in a written statement said he believed he obtained $147 a week. He told the detective he knew the funds were from false deposits, and said: “It was nice while it lasted.” Most of the times he had made deposits and withdrawals he was pretty drunk, he said. He had used the money to pay bills.

The Linkcard was subsequently taken off him, he said.

The other charges on which Wilson will appear for sentence on June 2 are 10 of false pretence involving a total of $416.25 and a fraud of $l4O relating to a tenancy bond form.