Accused conman denied bail after Audi scam

AN ALLEGED conman accused of stealing an Audi from a seller on Gumtree has been denied bail after being arrested in Geelong.

Shane Hicks was taken into custody on Sunday morning after officers saw the $18,000 vehicle parked outside a Norlane home Hicks was visiting.

Police allege the 40-yearold was handed the Audi on September 2 after falsely claiming to have transferred $18,500 to the seller.

Geelong Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday the pair had met in Southbank, where Mr Hicks took a test drive of the car with the victim.

It is alleged Mr Hicks agreed to buy the car and pay $500 above the price because he “liked” the seller.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Kerrie Moroney said Mr Hicks was given the keys after showing the seller a bank receipt, indicating he had transferred the money.

However, the money never arrived in the victim’s account, she said.

Police claim Mr Hicks used similar tactics earlier this year to dupe businesses out of thousands of dollars.

Sen-Constable Moroney said the man owed more than $13,000 after living in a short stay rental in St Kilda, as well as $1500 to a separate accommodation provider.

During his arrest, Mr Hicks allegedly claimed his surname was “Higgs”, while police say they also found a small bag of ice in his pocket.

In pushing for bail yesterday, Mr Hicks said he was a self-employed “corporate consultant” who specialised in business debt.

He also claimed to be battling bowel and brain cancer.

It was not enough to convince magistrate Steven Raleigh to grant bail.

Mr Hicks was remanded in custody and will return to court next month.