'She felt betrayed by you': Man steals money from helpful neighbour

The 50-year-old man was placed on a diversion plan in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on December 18, 2023, which means he will avoid a criminal conviction if he does not commit another crime in the next 12 months.

The court heard the man approached his neighbour for help to buy a smart watch online in late 2022.

The victim used his iPad to make the purchase through online retailer Kogan and using her credit card details.

The man paid her back for the watch.

But between January 3 and February 23, 2023, he used her details, which were saved to his device, to make another 22 purchases without her consent.

The woman discovered $2873.85 was missing from her account on February 24.

She logged in to her online account and noticed her money had been used to buy numerous items, including child and female adult underwear, kids swimsuits and wetsuits and ladies swimsuits.

She later intercepted an Australia Post driver who said he'd delivered multiple items to the man's home over the one-month period.

The victim blocked her card and notified police.

The man was arrested and he admitted the theft, saying he was going to pay her back "tomorrow".

Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said the offending was a "fairly egregious breach of trust".

"Someone helps him out, gives him assistance and he goes and rips them off 22 times," he said.

A lawyer for the man said her client lived with an intellectual disability and had no criminal history.

A victim impact statement was tendered to the court.

Mr Lethbridge said the man's offending caused "somebody who was being your friend to be very hurt".

"Not only did she think she was going to lose a lot of money that she didn't have but she felt betrayed by you because she trusted you. That is not good," he said.

"If you hurt people, the court will hurt you by sending you to jail ultimately. So make sure something like this never happens again."

The Standard has chosen not to name the man because he was placed on a diversion plan.