KEY POINTS:
An Oamaru fraudster who ripped off more than $60,000 worth of Ticketek tickets over the internet has escaped a prison sentence.
Sandy Reynolds Gilbert, 29, appeared in the Oamaru District Court for sentencing yesterday after he admitted 38 theft charges in December, 37 of which related to the dishonest abuse of a computer system.
Gilbert was sentenced to a total of 210 hours' community work and ordered to pay $200 reparation.
His sentencing had been delayed previously to allow further submissions to be made to the judge concerning reparation.
However, despite the extent of the offending, Judge David Holderness said the final reparation amount sought by Ticketek was $200 -- because most of the transactions Gilbert made had been cancelled.
Gilbert had used his uncle's computer to open a number of accounts with Ticketek New Zealand and Ticketek Australia between September 25 and October 10 last year.
He was able to obtain numerous details about credit cards issued to foreign banks from a website he accessed.
He made transactions to purchase event tickets and gift vouchers to the value of $20,445.50 from Ticketek New Zealand, and event tickets and gift vouchers to the value of A$US 35,015.50 from Ticketek Australia using the credit card details.
Gilbert admitted an additional charge of taking $320 from a family member.
Judge Holderness said Gilbert was entitled to a significant amount of credit for his early guilty pleas, which spared the court a lengthy process.
The convicted fraudster was sentenced to 60 hours' community work for theft from a family member, and a further 150 hours' for the internet offending which the court considered significantly sterner in view of the number of acts of dishonesty, Judge Holderness said.
- OAMARU MAIL
