Kylie Meers, 37, pleaded guilty to nine counts of obtaining property by deception, two counts of theft, obtaining and attempting to obtain financial advantage by deception, possession of both methamphetamine and GHB and four counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Bill Rudd-Schmidt told the Seymour Magistrates’ Court - sitting at Shepparton - the victim was a 59-year-old indigenous man with physical impairments. The court heard he had received a compensation payout in January 2020.
He said the victim allowed Meers, who he knew through her father, to move in with him in Seymour, and soon agreed to buy both himself and Meers a plane ticket to Perth.
Meers, who it was heard had family in Perth, used the victim's credit card to purchase the tickets with his authorisation, but would make a number more transactions without authorisation, totaling approximately $18,500.
Sgt Rudd-Schmidt said among her purchases was $1980.35 worth of items bought between March 19 and April 15, 2020, which were delivered to their address. Those items included a scooter, walkie talkies, digital scales and tattoo needles.
It was heard she bought another $2192.40 worth of items between March 24 and April 21, 2020, including Bluetooth speakers, an electric safe, runners, clothes, an electric bike and a phone.
Another purchase included $6342 from another site on April 23, 2020, where some of the items were an electric hover board, a scooter and a musical instrument, while she also used the card for online gambling totaling $6210.
In a separate incident, Meers admitted to finding a wallet on the floor of the gaming room at Seymour's Railway Club Hotel on March 17 and leaving the premises with it. The wallet contained $600 to $700 and a number of cards.
She also admitted using a credit card she had found at a Seymour address on July 15 three times, with purchases totaling $367.80.
Meers was also found with two bottles of GHB in Seymour on May 4, 2020, and with 1.5 g of methamphetamine in Seymour on March 26.
Defence counsel Luke Slater noted his client conceded she had a problem with substance use and asked she be assessed for a corrections order.
Magistrate Peter Dunn instead imposed a six-month prison sentence, labelling it "outrageous and cruel offending".
“She prayed upon a disabled person and a family friend to spend $18,000,” he said.
“It's all very well to find a wallet in a gaming room ... (that's) nowhere near as bad as what she's done.”
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