Blair David Beaumont (37) was sentenced to three years 10 months’ imprisonment before the Dunedin District Court in September last year.
Last month, the High Court at Dunedin heard an appeal against the sentence but Justice Rob Osborne dismissed the challenge to the outcome.
Beaumont’s crime spree began in December 2018 — months after his release from prison for previous offending — and continued until May 2021, some of the 36 offences occurring while he was on bail.
Justice Osborne said the defendant had left victims out of pocket in Central and North Otago, South Canterbury, Canterbury and Wellington.
He summarised the five sets of offences. —
- Online sales of non-existent items (including containers, shelving, car parts and electronics).
- Repair work for which Beaumont quoted and received a deposit, but did not do the work.
- Debts for accommodation and meals, often charged to his business.
- Beaumont’s failure to return a rental car.
- Theft of a $3000 commercial floor scrubber which he pawned for $500
Justice Osborne had assessed the crimes as moderate in their sophistication.
"On the multiple occasions Mr Beaumont incurred debt for accommodation, he manufactured emotive stories to gain people’s trust, such as falsely telling one motelier his wife was recently deceased and he was left with an infant child.
"These acts of deception had a significant emotional and financial impact on the victims, with the losses being exacerbated for accommodation providers in the context of Covid-19 travel restrictions," he said.
Counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner took issue with the way the sentencing judge increased her client’s prison term for his criminal history.
Justice Osborne was not persuaded. He noted Beaumont had 46 dishonesty convictions stretching back to 2003 and said his recidivism could now be described as "entrenched".
"It is apparent that previous sentences of imprisonment failed to deter Mr Beaumont. His dishonesty offending has instead escalated in frequency and seriousness since his previous sentences."
Beaumont will have his first parole hearing in August.
