Online cheater jailed over phantom goods
An online cheat used various internet auction sites to sell mobile phones and a laptop computer she did not have.
Jasmine Carole Lasseter, 23, jailed for 19 months by Christchurch District Court yesterday on 34 fraud charges.
She also appeared for sentencing on charges of driving while suspended, possession of a pipe for methamphetamine, and theft of a $3500 trailer and goods.
The 23-year-old had offered false items for sale online and her frauds and theft totalled $13,264.
Defence counsel Steven Hembrow said Lasseter found being in prison was helping her get off her dependence on drugs, but she would be willing to do a residential rehabilitation sentence if available.
He said she was on a rollercoaster. She did the offending online once, then carried on doing it. It was naive though, as she could be traced through her bank account number, he said.
Judge Alistair Garland said Lasseter’s offending started in February 2017 when she offered an Acer laptop for sale on Trade Me. Her victim paid $260, but never heard from her.
On February 7, Lasseter packed up some of her flatmate’s belongings, put them on the flatmate’s trailer and left the house. None of the items have been recovered.
Between May and December 2017, she also listed mobile phones for sale and 33 victims responded, he said.
Lasseter’s pre-sentence report said she was at a medium risk of reoffending, and the offences happened while she was on bail, where one of her conditions was not to access a computer system or the internet.
Judge Garland said the offending was a serious breach of trust, and sentenced her to 19 months’ prison, ordered reparation of $13,264, and disqualified her from driving for six months.
He said he would not allow the sentence to be converted to home detention if a residential drug treatment provider became available.