ONE of three men who stole identities of credit card owners to buy expensive computers, iPods, mobile phones and navigational aids ran up bills of more than $50,000.
He was gaoled for one year in Bathurst Local Court last week.
The court was told Nathan James Lyall, 18, played a lesser role in the deception of shop keepers duped by fraudulent copies of credit cards, driver’s licences and Medicare cards, as he travelled with two older Malaysian men buying fashionable electrical items on credit.
Lyall’s sentence was the same as that imposed on his co-accused Choy Shiun Sin, 29, and Nee Ong Hew, 37, the two Malaysian nationals who befriended him to embark upon their buying spree over over five separate days in the second and third weeks of January this year.
However, both Sin and Hew will have to serve a full year in gaol before they are deported from Australia.
Lyall’s solicitor Matthew Trevillian succeeded in getting his client a six month non-parole period and a release to parole in mid July.
Mr Trevillian asked magistrate, Thomas Hodgson, to take into account the level of involvement of Lyall, who appeared before the court for sentence by audio visual link in Parklea Gaol where he’s been in protective custody after receiving threats from Sin and Hew.
The solicitor said Lyall of Picasso Crescent, Old Toongabbie was 18 years of age when approached by Hew an Sin. Lyall had been living a transient lifestyle his with father in Germany and mother living in Queensland.
Mr Trevillian said Lyall no prior record, had never been before a court and could not be compared to either Sin or Hew.
It had been Lyall who “put his hand up” to assist police when charges were laid. Police prosecutor Sergeant Brett Donaghy tendered a lengthy statement of facts tracing how Lyall had first been approached by Sin and Hew at Fairfiled Hotel.
Lyall had fallen in with Sin and Hew, taking credit cards with stolen identities to obtain goods by deception.
Lyall, Sin and Hew had gone to Muswellbrook to buy goods worth $8000 and Tamworth, staying in a motel buying items worth $16,000.
They returned to Sydney where Lyall had been paid $1,000 but gave Sin and Hew $600 for a fake card, his licence and medicare card.
The three had gone to Bowral and Nowra after which Lyall had been paid $1,200 on January 10 before they arrived in Bathurst on Sunday, January 13 continuing to Orange buying more electrical items as they went on their way.
They had been unaware a shop assistant in Dubbo had become suspicious on January 15. Lyall went to a shop in Mudgee with the fraudulent Westpac Visa card on January 16.
Police had been called and arrested Lyall in possession of a NSW driver’s licence showing his photograph and a fraudulent Medicare card, also in his name.
Mudgee police acted quickly on information about a car seen near the shop, stopping Sin and Hew on the Castlereagh Highway south of Mudgee. They had six laptops, five GPS navigational aids and an iPod in their car boot.
A search of the car at Mudgee Police Station also uncovered an envelope with two credit cards with fraudulent identities and general receipts for five iPods and four cartons of cigarettes.
In the driver’s side door of the car, police found a 48 page exercise book dated from September 5, 2007 to January 16, 2008 showing locations of shops in NSW.
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