If you want to set up a criminal scheme then you at least need to have a couple of brain cells to rub together!
The plan was to set up a luxury car and boat hire business – by first stealing them from unsuspecting owners using doctored $20 bank cheques.
Mohamed Hamoud and a co-offender used the fake bank cheques to buy a $23,500 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a $98,500 Mercedes C63, an $84,000 Mercedes 200S, and a $16,500 jet-ski.
They then advertised their new business on the internet featuring photographs of the stolen items.
Hamoud, who runs a successful earthworks business, pleaded guilty in the County Court to four counts of obtaining property by deception between August and November, in a case judge Michael McInerney described as ‘‘bizarre’’.
The co-offender was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and fined $1000 after earlier pleading guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to one count of theft.
‘‘I must say that, given the seriousness of these crimes, I have been somewhat flummoxed … to try and comprehend how, Mr Hamoud, you committed these crimes and what you thought you were going to achieve,’’ Judge McInerney said.
‘‘Sometimes in court, despite one’s experience, one simply cannot provide an answer as to how a person would commit criminality of such a serious nature, and in such an inept manner.
‘‘It is very difficult to understand what was involved and going through Mr Hamoud’s head at this time.’’
The judge said Hamoud had been in the process of buying a house, was engaged to be married, had had a good upbringing, had never been in trouble with the law and was 26 at the time.
‘‘The motive allegedly was financial, both parties, Hamoud and [the co-offender], had decided to start a business,” he said.
‘‘The business was to provide car hire, Mercedes car hire and/or alternatively hire of a boat … The whole scheme was doomed to failure.’’
The first bank cheque the pair used was made out to the co-offender but was purchased by Hamoud ,who gave his name and mobile phone number to the bank teller.
Police told the court the doctored bank cheques were of a very high standard.
‘‘That is the only aspect, it seemed to me, about each of these crimes that did not fit the description of being spectacularly inept,’’ the judge said.
‘‘As soon as detection was made by the bank, which apparently must not have been too difficult, even though this was a very good representation, these deceptions were identified.’’
Hamoud was placed on a four-year community corrections order and fined $5000.
The two Mercedes, the Harley-Davidson and the jet-ski were returned to their owners.
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