A Canterbury mechanic who put lives at risk by charging for fictitious repairs has been jailed.
Karl John Abbott, 44, allowed heavy vehicles he worked on to operate in a potentially dangerous condition on the region's highways so he could pocket the money he claimed to have spent on repairs.
Christchurch District
Court Judge Jackie Moran yesterday said a jail term had to be imposed because as a trained mechanic Abbott would have been fully aware of the risk he was creating but chose to go ahead anyway for his own financial reward.
"It goes without saying that your actions in deliberately misleading the victim companies that necessary repairs and maintenance had been undertaken on their heavy vehicles could have had serious and indeed tragic consequences," she said.
"It wasn't until parts began to suffer from mechanical failure that your invoices were questioned and independent testing showed that work was never undertaken and parts that were supposed to have been replaced were still the original parts."
Abbott was sentenced to four months' jail on six representative charges of fraud for bogus invoices over a 12-month period to March this year.
Hamish Evans, defending, had sought a non-custodial penalty for Abbott, who had already paid back most of the $23,000 he admitted overcharging and was making arrangements to pay back the outstanding amount in the next month.
"Abbott has two adult daughters and is the principal caregiver of his 5-year-old son," Mr Evans said. "He's ashamed of these convictions. Other people regard Abbott highly and he's spoken of as a loyal and trustworthy man."
However, Judge Moran rejected Abbott's bid to avoid going to jail immediately. She said he could apply for home detention but would have to request that while serving his sentence.
- NZPA
