A Tasmanian man who used his employer’s fuel card to illegally buy more than $24,000 worth of fuel has narrowly escaped imprisonment.
Damian John Barrett, 38, admitted to six counts of fraud in the Burnie Supreme Court after it was uncovered he had unlawfully purchased a whopping 15,231.50 litres of fuel across a six month period.
According to the ABC, the fraudulent spree began when Barrett’s wife abruptly left him, leaving him with mounting debts and emotional turmoil.
Between May and November 2021, he spent a total of $24,208.06 on Roadways Pty Ltd’s fuel card, filling up his personal vehicles and even selling fuel to friends using large drums.
The irregularities were detected when a Caltex fuel card showed suspicious activity, later traced back to Barrett through CCTV footage.
Despite being dismissed from his job due to unrelated matters, Barrett confessed to the substantial fuel theft during police interviews.
While Barrett expressed remorse and planned to secure a personal loan to repay the company, Justice Tamara Jago condemned his conduct as a flagrant abuse of trust.
She acknowledged the breach’s severity and the common occurrence of employees betraying their employers’ trust.
Justice Jago deemed imprisonment necessary but ultimately suspended the seven-month sentence for a two-year period, challenging Barrett to prove he has undergone positive changes.
