A Warrnambool man and woman used a stolen credit to go on a shopping spree, purchasing thousands of dollars worth of items, including alcohol and cigarettes.
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John Claridge, 33, and Heather Clark, 28, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court this week to charges of obtaining property by deception.
The charges related to the use of a stolen bank card in tap and go transactions that netted about $3000.
The court heard the pair made more than a dozen fraudulent purchases last month, including hundreds of dollars of groceries, alcohol, cigarettes, multiple mobile phones and other electronics.
The transactions were made with a Westpac Bank Mastercard stolen from a motor vehicle in Warrnambool on May 20.
That card was used 14 times between May 21 and 22 to purchase items from Warrnambool's Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, Kmart and BWS liquor store.
The incident was reported to police and the pair were identified on CCTV footage.
That led to two search warrants being executed on Monday morning in east Warrnambool.
Claridge was arrested at his McGregors Road home after police seized a number of the purchased items, including three mobile phones and some clothes.
Lawyer Belinda Northey said Claridge obtained the bank card from Clark, who he previously dated for 10 years, and did not know it was stolen.
Claridge was fined $1000.
Clark was arrested at her Armstrong Grove home where police located a mobile phone and clothes purchased with the stolen card.
The court heard Clark's criminal history was worse than her former partner, who had not appeared in court for a number of years.
Clark was sentenced to a 12-month correction order in February after she was convicted of stealing from staff at Warrnambool Base Hospital.
She was this week placed on another correction order, which will run for nine months and include 50 hours of unpaid community work.
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