Conman disputes compo
But defendant faces jail on 20 charges
A CONMAN yesterday admitted ripping off car dealers and retailers in Geelong, but reckons he should not have to pay back the full market value of the items he stole.
Instead, gambling addict Luke Deutscher argued he should only have to repay the amount of money the victims paid for the items he later stole from them.
Geelong County Court heard Deutscher wrote a number of fake cheques and provided dealers with doctored documents that suggested he had transferred them money between November 2016 and March 2017.
His scams netted more than 10 cars in that four-month period from dealers in Geelong, Traralgon and Melbourne, as well as golf gear from Geelong’s Ray Drummond store, a mower and other gardening equipment from Faggs Mitre 10 at Wallington and a meal at a Lorne cafe.
One of the vehicles he stole was valued at $49,500, and the grand total of items taken topped $260,000.
One dealer handed over two cars after the man assured them his $75,000 cheque could be trusted, despite knowing there was only $100 in his account.
Prosecutor Andy Moore said Deutscher later had “only 39 cents in his account” when he drove a $31,000 car from a Holden dealership, after providing the salesman with a bogus receipt of his electronic funds transfer.
Mr Moore said the defendant later traded the car in for a cheaper model at a Grovedale dealership, pocketing $6500 difference.
The court heard the man also stole thousands of dollars from a North Geelong hire-car businessman who left his bank card in a vehicle Deutscher rented, connecting the card directly to his Ladbrokes betting account.
Deutscher was living in Clifton Springs and Elmore during his crime spree, but now, aged 29, works in Horsham for a company that builds sheds.
He pleaded guilty to more the than 20 charges in court yesterday, including multiple counts of deception and theft, breaching bail.
The court heard Deutscher’s gambling woes started after a $16,000 win on an “unusual bet” in December 2015 as he recovered from a fatal car crash.
His lawyer told court the man was not at fault, but suffered a blackout while driving near Elmore, where his parents live, and crashed his car into another vehicle, killing its two occupants, aged in their 60s.
He was hurt and his girlfriend at the time was injured, and, in a tragic coincidence, Deutscher’s brother died a short time later after crashing his car into a tree after swerving to miss an animal.
While the court heard the defendant understood he needed to repay the victims of his crimes, his lawyer disputed the sum of money, arguing the market values quoted allowed for the seller’s profit margin.
Judge Wendy Wilmoth indicated Deutscher was likely to be sent to jail when his matter returned to court on Thursday, and said she would rule on compensation requests then.