See full judgment: Austlii.
The offenders were sentenced following pleas of guilty to 1 count of possessing paper or articles resembling postage stamps knowing they were not postage stamps, contrary to s11.2A(1) of the Commonwealth Criminal Code and s85G(3) of the Crimes Act 1914.
Nature and Circumstances: Offenders produced 2.4 million counterfeit Australian stamps of various denominations with a face value of around $6m. The total actual loss to Australia Post was $10,340. Offenders’ roles in the enterprise were confined and unsophisticated in terms of what they were required to do. Offenders had little appreciation of the seriousness of their actions. Offenders’ role in the offending was entirely directed by their brother.
Non-custodial sentence: Offenders’ youth, immaturity, naivety, previous and subsequent good character, early pleas of guilty, remorse, exacerbation attributable to delay, combined with their low level roles and the limited duration of the offending as well as the relatively modest loss suffered are such that a term of imprisonment is not appropriate in the particular circumstances of this case.
Offenders discharged under s 19B without proceeding to conviction on recognizance of $1,000 to be of good behaviour for 12 months.
