Man defrauded his mum

Updated November 2 2012 - 10:03am, first published June 10 2008 - 12:52pm

A BALLARAT man used internet banking to steal more than $30,000 from his intellectually disabled mother, a court heard yesterday. The Ballarat Magistrates Court heard Brian Mong, 39, transferred money from his 71-year-old mother's bank account into his own savings account on 34 occasions from December 2007 until he was found out in March this year. Police Prosecutor Senior Constable Steven Kent said Mong lived with his mother and obtained her Westpac bank details and applied for internet banking without her knowledge.He said Westpac re-imbursed Mong's mother the $31,360 stolen from her. Defence lawyer Richard Oakley said Mong had used the money to pay a Centrelink debt and buy a direct marketing business. Mr Oakley said Mong was remorseful about his actions and had been forgiven by his mother. "He and his brother cook for her and attend to her daily needs," Mr Oakley said. He said Mong suffered from an intellectual disability and had been a champion disabled athlete who had broken three world records. Magistrate Peter Reardon described Mong's offending as "despicable"."He's planned it on the computer to defraud his own mother," Mr Reardon said. "He knew that she was vulnerable and was going to take advantage of her."Mong pleaded guilty to 34 charges of obtaining property by deception.He was fined $1000 and ordered to pay $31,360 in compensation to Westpac. Mong was also placed on a 12-month community based order on condition he complete 200 hours of community work.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Ballarat news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.