General News
12 May, 2026
Man jailed for over five years
A Maryborough man who obtained $658,207 through fraudulent cheques and deception offences, has been jailed for five years and three months, with a non-parole period of three years.
Damien Lennen, 52, pleaded guilty in Melbourne’s County Court in March 2026 to nine charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception and three charges of attempting to obtain property by deception.
The first 10 charges arose from an investigation after multiple offences dating back to 2021, where Mr Lennen deposited a number of cheques from bank accounts that were closed or had insufficient funds, deceiving multiple banking and gambling outlets, as well as a charity.
The 10th charge was the result of police executing a search warrant at Mr Lennen’s home address in 2022, after he deposited a cheque with a value of $11,535 into an account with Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, a not-for-profit organisation supporting women and children impacted by domestic violence.
Mr Lennen later contacted the charity, informing them the payment was an error, and he intended to donate $1535, mistakingly adding an extra digit, and requested a return of $10,000. Good Shepherd then transfered $11,535 to an account held by Mr Lennen.
Charges 11 and 12 prompted the second investigation, when Mr Lennen approached Carisbrook’s Australia Post outlet in February 2023 and attempted to deposit $283,071 from an AMP bank cheque that had insufficient funds, into a HSBC account.
In May that year, Mr Lennen attempted the same offence at an Australia Post outlet in Ballarat, using an ME Bank cheque with insufficient fund to deposit $283,071 into a HSBC account.
Mr Lennen instantly had access to the money before the cheques were cleared by the banks and Australia Post, with much of the money quickly dispersed across gambling platforms, and some toward groceries.
The incident also resulted in an internal review of HSBC’s own cheque clearing processes.
This prompted police to execute a search warrant and arrest Mr Lennen.
In sentencing, Judge Breckweg said charge 10 was “especially deplorable being a charity”, and added that because charges 11 and 12 were committed while Mr Lennen was on bail, they were an “aggra-vating factor” for the sentence given.
Judge Breckweg acknowledged Mr Lennen did repay the $11,535 dishonestly obtained from Good Shepperd, and the banks he obtained money from were able to reobtain the funds lost through insurance.
The court heard conflicting psychiatric reports detailing different accounts of when Mr Lennen’s gambling began. In one report, he claimed he did not gamble until adulthood. In another, he said he began placing small bets as young as five or six because members of his family worked around the racing industry.
Following the completion of university in 1997, the court heard his gambling and alcohol use escalated after beginning work in finance and customer service roles, with a large portion of his wages eventually spent on gambling.
Between 1999 and 2007, Mr Lennen worked for several banks before leaving after only short periods. From 2004 to 2007, he worked for Telstra, but was dismissed for falsifying medical certificates.
The court heard Mr Lennen first began writing fraudulent cheques in 2007 to obtain gift vouchers, which he used to buy food, leading to his first conviction and treatment for gambling addiction. He was later convicted of 97 dishonesty offences in 2009.
Psychiatric evidence tendered to the court stated Mr Lennen suffered a major depressive disorder and likely avoidant and dependent personality disorders, informing one psychiatrist he experienced a “mental breakdown” as a result of work pressures and escalating gambling losses.
Although he later engaged in treatment and received income protection, the court heard the money was eventually gambled away.
By the time of the present offending, Judge Breckweg said Mr Lennen’s gambling addiction had become “entrenched”, with daily use of online gambling platforms and mounting financial pressures linked to his parents’ deteriorating health.
The judge acknowledged Mr Lennen, a carer for his mother and father, would experience hardship in custody due to his closeness to his parents, and would be unable to care for them.
The judge also accepted Mr Lennen had not gambled since being charged and what Mr Lennen committed was a victimless crime, with much of the money he tried to obtain had been returned to the banks.
Upon sentencing, while Judge Breckweg recognised it was “unorthodox”, Mr Lennen was granted a moment to say goodbye to his parents and sister.