Paul Sutton pretended to sell Nintendo Switch consoles on Facebook Marketplace.
A scammer who pretended to sell car parts, vacuum cleaners and Nintendo Switch consoles through social media has been ordered to pay back more than $8700 to his victims.
But beneficiary Paul Sutton can afford only $15 a week in repayments – meaning it could take him more than 11 years to clear the debt.
Today, Sutton appeared in the Hastings District Court for sentencing on 14 charges, including obtaining by deception, careless driving, drink-driving and breaching community work.
Judge Gordon Matenga sentenced him to eight months of home detention and disqualified him from driving for a year and a day.
Judge Matenga also imposed reparation orders totaling $8781.50 to compensate the people who had been scammed.
“It will take some time, but you need to pay back what you owe these people,” the judge said.
Defence counsel Eric Forster said Sutton was on a benefit and could afford to pay $15 a week.
Judge Matenga said that Sutton agreed to sell a car engine and transmission unit after receiving a Facebook message in April 2022.
He received $5400 through a bank transfer but the victim never received the engine or transmission, nor a refund.
In September and October 2023, Sutton was on Facebook Marketplace, this time offering to sell Dyson vacuum cleaners and Nintendo Switches for varying amounts ranging from $230 to $500.
He provided his bank account details and received money but did not send the items.
Judge Matenga detailed trades for six vacuum cleaners and three game consoles.
The careless and drink-driving charges related to a truck crash on State Highway 2 near Mohaka in November 2022. Sutton was driving.
The court was told that the truck drifted off the side of the road on a moderate right-hand bend, then swerved, collided with a barrier and tipped onto its side.
Sutton was taken to hospital where a blood test showed 119 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal blood alcohol limit is 50mg.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.
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