He ripped off an unsuspecting couple and committed credit card fraud worth thousands of dollars – all for the promise of an occasional hit of ice.
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Those were the sad and troubling facts outlined in the case of Michael John Miller, a Port Kembla man facing time behind bars owing to his crippling addiction to drugs.
Miller, 57, pleaded guilty to 11 charges of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, stemming from his involvement in a five-day spending binge in which he racked up almost $7000 in fraudulent transactions using a stolen credit card.
Magistrate Michael Stoddart sentenced Miller to 12 months’ jail, but agreed to have him assessed for home detention owing to his significant health issues, conceding they would make him extremely vulnerable in prison.
The court heard the credit card was intercepted by an unknown person during its delivery in the mail to its new owners, who had been approved for a limit of $18,000.
A second letter from the bank, containing the couple’s new PINs, was also stolen during delivery.
On August 10, the credit card was activated by the bank’s telephone service.
The following day, CCTV captured Miller using the card at the Woolworths petrol station on Crown Street, racking up a $157.38 bill buying cigarettes, tobacco and mobile phone credit.
The act was to be repeated on a further 10 occasions over the next four days, with cartons of cigarettes the main item on Miller’s shopping list.
CCTV footage caught him using the card at Coles Figtree on August 11; Coles Fairy Meadow on August 12; at Officeworks and twice at Westfield Figtree on August 13; at Coles Fairy Meadow on August 14; and four times on August 15 at a Coniston service station, at Coles and Woolworths at Figtree and Coles Warrawong.
On each occasion Miller or his accomplice purchased multiple cartons of cigarettes, priced at more than $100 a carton.
The card was eventually logged as stolen on August 20, after the owners noticed the transactions and called the bank to say they had never received the card.
Miller’s co-accused was arrested on September 27, and Miller arrested on December 3.
Together the pair spent $6836.10.
In court on Friday, defence lawyer Robert Steward said Miller’s role in the heist had been that of driver, and he’d been obeying the directions of his co-accused when sent in to make the purchases.
‘‘Part of his reward [for making the purchases] was to receive a shot of crystal meth for his service,’’ Mr Steward said.
The case will return to court on March 9 for the outcome of the home detention assessment.
