Our client was a teenager facing a serious dishonesty charge. After being drawn into an online ticket resale arrangement involving significant sums of money and older co-accused, our client faced a serious charge, which alone was enough to threaten a criminal record before he had even finished school.
Matters involving young people accused of high-value offending call for a different kind of advocacy, one that looks past the dollar figure to the young person behind the charge.
Selling tickets via social media leads to bank freeze
Our client became involved in selling tickets to a popular annual event through social media and messaging apps, alongside a number of older co-accused. Over a period of months, the amount involved in the alleged offending grew substantial.
Our client’s own bank accounts were frozen and closed by his banks once the matter came to light. He also lost access to some of the social media and email accounts.
Charges of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception
Our client was charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception under section 192E(1)(b) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). This case was dealt with in a NSW Children’s Court given his age at the time.
The alleged quantum involved was unusually high for a matter involving a young person. It reflected offending carried out over an extended period with older co-accused, both factors that could have significantly worsened the outcome.
Our approach
Our first task was practical rather than legal: our client could no longer access his own bank accounts. Therefore, our criminal defence lawyers secured a series of adjournments to allow time to properly obtain his banking records from multiple institutions. We worked directly with the banks involved to do so.
We then entered negotiations with the prosecution over the quantum allegation, which resulted in a materially reduced figure being agreed for the purposes of sentence.
Throughout the case, our focus was on presenting our client as a young person who had made a serious error of judgment, distinct from the older co-accused involved, rather than as part of an ongoing enterprise.
What happens when a young person is charged with a dishonesty offence?
Charges involving fraud or dishonesty carry the same legal elements whether the accused is an adult or a young person, but the Children’s Court has a strong focus on rehabilitation, and a young person’s background can weigh heavily in how the matter is resolved.
Our fact sheet on fraud charges in NSW explains how these offences are dealt with →
Read more of our criminal law case studies.
The outcome
Our client entered a plea of guilty to a single charge, on a materially reduced quantum, and achieved a non-conviction outcome.
Given the amount involved, our client’s own history of youth cautions for similar conduct, and the sophistication and duration of the offending alongside older co-accused, this was a strong result, comparable to the outcomes we have achieved in other financial advantage matters.
It reflected careful, practical groundwork as much as legal argument, and the benefit of treating a young person’s matter differently to an adult’s.
*We always change the names and other identifiable details in case studies to protect client privacy.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is assessed on its individual merits.
This content is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should seek independent legal advice relevant to your specific circumstances.
Facing a fraud or dishonesty charge?
Being accused of a high-value dishonesty offence, especially as a young person, does not mean a criminal record is inevitable.
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