Fraudster averts jail time by agreeing to pay back victim
ALEXANDRA - A man facing a fraud charge averted an 8 year imprisonment after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of theft and after committing to repay his victim.
A man facing a charge of fraud recently averted an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of theft and committing to repay his victim back.
The court heard that the suspect, Derrick Poole, first appeared at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court in 2011 for a crime he committed and from which he had absconded the same year after receiving bail. The eight-year sentence imposed on him was suspended for a five-year payback agreement, on condition he does not commit any crime in the future.
The court heard that Poole had introduced himself as a property sales agent to his victim, a banker, and offered to sell him a vacant piece of land in Midrand. The court heard that some documentation on the deal was processed and the victim transferred R203 000 into an account number that Poole had given him. After that, Poole disappeared without honouring the sale agreement.
He was, however, recently traced and brought from Durban for trial.
His victim agreed to the alternative charge of theft after an agreement was reached in which Poole would pay back R30 000 through the court and committed to pay R2 880 monthly for five years until the full amount was paid.
