A man who defrauded a remote Aboriginal community of almost $3 million has been sentenced to seven years in jail.<\/p>\n
Craig Robert Dale had been contracted to build new homes, a clinic and a school in the remote Kimberley community of Warmun after it was struck by flooding in 2011.<\/p>\n
While Dale completed those works, he also pocketed $2.77 million for works that were never completed.<\/p>\n
The fraud offences occurred over a period of eight months, between October 2013 and June 2014.<\/p>\n
Dale was charged in 2020 and had been due to stand trial, but later pleaded guilty to 14 counts of gaining benefit by fraud.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Warmun is a remote Indigenous community in the Kimberley. (ABC News: Andy Seabourne)<\/p>\n
The 58-year-old was expected to be sentenced in March, but the court heard he had discharged his lawyer and the matter was delayed.<\/p>\n
It was the second time he had forced his lawyer to withdraw on the eve of a sentencing date.<\/p>\n
Judge David MacLean had told Dale he had a “bad habit” of dismissing his legal counsel before a significant court appearance, and said sentencing would go ahead regardless of whether Dale obtained a new lawyer or not.<\/p>\n
Gambling motive<\/p>\n
In the District Court today,\u00a0Judge David MacLean described Dale’s offending as an “entirely self-motivated interest” which was mainly to maintain money for gambling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t accept you’re either remorseful or you had genuine regard for the community,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In sentencing, Judge MacLean said Dale exploited the trust the community had in him to carry out works, for his own advantage and benefit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“You received money, you spent the money and repeated the process,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“You wasted the entirety of that money on gambling.”<\/p>\n