A woman on Centrelink who had over $28,000 worth of cash deposits in a single month, said the transactions were legitimate and had nothing to do with a man on trial for trafficking in a controlled substance.
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Carly Dekkers, a witness in the trial of Stephen James Williams, and Russel Peter Hayworth gave evidence in the Launceston Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Ms Dekkers, a former girlfriend of Mr Williams, was brought before the court and was questioned over large amounts of cash deposits made from her account.
In April 2019, the court was told that the witness had withdrawn over $28,000 worth of cash.
Crown prosecutions alleged that the money that Ms Dekkers withdrew was either withdrawn by Mr Williams or belonged to Mr Williams.
Ms Dekkers denied the allegations and said that the money that had been withdrawn belonged to her, her mother and her grandmother.
She stated that due to her bipolar, she would often buy lavished clothing and would also on-sell those items. She also told the court that she would often lie to her mother and ask for money to pay bills, however, she would spend the money on online shopping.
It was also heard that over $10,000 had been withdrawn in January 2019, and that over $12,000 had been deposited in March 2019.
On July 5, 2017, police conducted a search of Ms Dekker's home, and found over $10,000 worth of cash.
Ms Dekker's mother, Trudy, told the court the money was hers as she had been stashing money from her gambling.
She said she was unsure as to the exact amount of money she had and that she had given it to her daughter.
"I had a dream to save as much as I could so I could have a new beginning when I was out of bankruptcy," she said.
Melissa Fontana, a forensic accountant, told the court that she had been asked to look into the finances of Carly Dekkers and add up all the cash deposits during that time.
She said she was only asked to look at the money coming, and not the money coming out.
A former bar manager of Lloyds Hotel, Jordyn Fenton, was present at the time of the bar raid on November 13, 2019 and recalled her time working as a manager under Mr Williams.
As part of her duties, she said she was asked to take a backpack home and look after it.
She said she took the backpack home around three times a week, and would give it to Mr Williams when she came into work. She said Mr Williams would then give her the backpack to take home.
She told the court that she did not look into the backpack as the contents of the items were "not her problem".
The trial continues tomorrow.
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Satria Dyer-Darmawan
Satria Dyer-Darmawan is a journalist for The Examiner and considers himself to be an all rounder. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Satria has worked in Alice Springs and North Queensland and isn't afraid to immerse himself in regional communities.
Satria Dyer-Darmawan is a journalist for The Examiner and considers himself to be an all rounder. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Satria has worked in Alice Springs and North Queensland and isn't afraid to immerse himself in regional communities.
