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Queensland man jailed over Gumtree fraud

Cheryl GoodenoughAAP
Judge Vicki Loury said told a fraudster to "stop using drugs" when jailing him.
Camera IconJudge Vicki Loury said told a fraudster to "stop using drugs" when jailing him.

A man who forged bank transfer receipts to buy excavators and high-end cars worth more than $770,000 has been sentenced to seven years behind bars.

Peter James Lawler targeted people selling the vehicles and heavy machinery on the sales website Gumtree, a court has heard.

The 27-year-old admitted he or a co-offender would contact the sellers, negotiating a price to buy the property.

The pair would then send the seller a screenshot of a forged bank transfer receipt before collecting the items or arranging for a courier or tow truck driver to collect them.

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"By this method you obtained a range of property including high value items," Brisbane District Court Judge Vicki Loury told Lawler while sentencing him on Tuesday.

These included two excavators worth $50,000 and $64,000, a Landcruiser worth $83,000, a Range Rover and Mustang - each worth $51,000 - and a BMW and Mercedes Benz, each worth $40,000.

The total value was about $772,000.

The cars were recovered, but the economic loss to the complainants was more than $360,000.

Lawler also tried to obtain a $66,900 Audi using a forged transfer receipt, but the seller refused to hand over the car.

Lawler was arrested while trying to sell a motorcycle which he crashed while fleeing police.

A total of 39 fraudulent transactions were made over five months until his arrest in January 2019.

Lawler was earlier convicted of similar offences involving 19 people who lost computers, phones, drones and other personal items through fraudulent transactions.

The court heard the father-of-one started using cannabis and methylamphetamine at the age of 15 and continued to abuse drugs while in prison.

"If not for yourself, do it for your daughter - stop using drugs," Judge Loury told Lawler.

Sentencing him to seven years in jail for fraud, Judge Loury ordered that he be eligible for parole on May 25 due to time already served.

Lawler's co-offender was dealt with separately.

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