A north Perth property manager who stole thousands of dollars from clients has avoided going to jail.
Linda Margaret Ngapera admitted to plundering more than $140,000 from trust accounts through 141 unauthorised withdrawals made between 2020 and 2022.
Ngapera pleaded guilty to all 141 charges tied to breaches of the Real Estate and Business Agents Act when she appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court earlier this month.
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She was sentenced to 13 months in prison, plus $700 in court costs.
However, the jail term was suspended for two years, with the reprieve coming after the magistrate noted Ngapera’s early guilty plea and because the stolen funds were used to “deal with difficult family circumstances” and not spent on lavish holidays or luxury items.
Cases like Ngapera’s have previously been before the courts, but this is the first time a prison term has been imposed since 2020 amendments upped penalties from a maximum fine of $3000 to $25,000 or two years in jail.
“Ms Ngapera was in a position of trust, and she abused that trust,” Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said.
“She also put the agent in a difficult financial position as they had to repay the missing money to balance the trust account so that clients were not disadvantaged by her actions.”
Blake said this case would deter others from considering this type of breach of trust and “sends a very strong message to industry and community that Consumer Protection will not hesitate to take action”.
Ngapera voluntarily surrendered her sales representative registration and has been working towards repaying the full amount to the real estate agent.
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