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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Nick Bielby

Man sentenced to jail for stealing from elderly people's bank accounts

A man guilty of defrauding several elderly people - including on the Central Coast - has been jailed.

In Gosford Local Court on Friday, Magistrate Alan Railton sentenced Tonga Harris to a maximum of five years in prison, with a three-year non-parole period.

Harris was guilty of 19 counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception over the thefts from people living in retirement villages and seniors' residential complexes on the Central Coast, in the Southern Highlands, in the Illawarra and at Canberra.

The 45-year-old obtained stolen bank cards and called their owners in order to get the details required to access accounts between January and April.

He withdrew cash at East Maitland, Belmont, East Gosford, Tahmoor, Tuggerah Lakes, Dapto and Canberra.

Harris was charged in May.

He will be first eligible for parole on August 6, 2023.

The case prompted a warning from police for members of the public - particularly the elderly - not to give personal information or banking details to anyone over the phone.

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