Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
A single mum who used a lost company credit card to buy booze, groceries and petrol across the eastern suburbs has been sentenced.
Samantha Wortley, 36, was convicted for dishonestly obtaining financial advantage at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday.
According to facts tendered to court the Pyrmont woman fraudulently spent $1572.94 of international film studio Division Global’s money with a second person on 24 occasions.
Wortley used the company card at Westfield Eastgardens, Westfield Bondi Junction, Coles Express Maroubra, Pizza Hut Maroubra, Porters Liquor, and BP Matraville.
On February 3, a Sydney woman authorised to use the card was shopping at Officeworks Alexandria and planned to use her company credit card to purchase about $458 worth of goods, court documents state.
However the woman noticed she had lost her card about 3pm and reported the loss to the film company, which has offices in Chippendale.
Across the weekend the woman was notified by the company’s accountant that 24 fraudulent charges had been made on the card – all of which were under $100 so a PIN was not needed.
Wortley’s lawyer told the court the young mum had been struggling following the loss of her child’s father and her own mother in the past two years.
The Pyrmont woman works as a technical drawer for an architecture firm and runs a business selling Aboriginal art, the court heard.
Wortley felt “financially incapable” of supporting her family at the time of the offence and was struggling with her mental health, the court heard.
But Magistrate Hudson told the court that was no excuse for the misuse of others’ money.
“If it’s not yours, it’s not yours,” Magistrate Hudson said. “There’s no free rides.”
Magistrate Hudson convicted Wortley of dishonestly using a found credit card for financial advantage and sentenced her to a 15-month community corrections order and fined her $550.
