A Tasmanian man who used his partner’s identity to fraudulently take out more than $11,000 in loans to feed his gambling addiction has been jailed for three months.
Jared Roy McConnon, 30, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to seven counts of fraud and 12 counts of attempted fraud against his then partner, committed between January 2020 and November 2021.
The court heard McConnon accessed the woman’s Commonwealth Bank account and personal details to apply for loans totalling $89,680 across multiple lenders.
He successfully obtained $11,300 – all of which he spent on gambling.
Justice Tamara Jago sentenced McConnon to nine months imprisonment, with the final six months suspended for two years. He will serve three months behind bars.
“Your conduct involved a terrible breach of trust,” Justice Jago said.
“It went on for a reasonably significant period, just shy of two years.”
The court heard the woman has been left with a damaged credit rating and outstanding debts of more than $16,000.
In a victim impact statement, she said she was uncertain whether she would ever be able to repair her credit score enough to buy a home.
McConnon has previous convictions for dishonesty from 2019.
Justice Jago noted his latest offending began about nine months after he was sentenced for earlier dishonest behaviour.
The court was told McConnon admitted gambling had been a problem for most of his adult life.
He has since completed four counselling sessions and claims not to have gambled since 2023.
However, Justice Jago expressed concern about whether that treatment was enough given the severity of his addiction.
“I am of the view a risk of reoccurrence must exist and therefore specific deterrence remains an important sentencing consideration,” she said.
A compensation order was made in the woman’s favour, with the amount to be determined.
