Banned Terang harness trainer pleads not guilty to fraud offences

Timothy McLean, 28, of Spring Dam Road, appeared in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday for a committal hearing.

The man is facing fraud charges relating to $491,000.

Complainant Laura Ross, a stable-hand/track rider, told the court she was at her 21^st birthday party and under the influence of alcohol on January 23, 2021 when Mr McLean "coerced" her into transferring $101,000.

She said she believed the money would fund her share in three race horses and that Mr McLean told her she'd be "stupid" if she didn't invest.

Ms Ross said she also loaned Mr McLean $390,000 to help him with what she now believed to be a fabricated debt owed to the Australian Taxation Office.

Mr McLean and the complainant worked together between March 2020 and September 2021 with Ms Ross residing at the Terang training property, the court heard.

The complainant had allegedly come into a significant inheritance, which she said she transferred to the accused man without any of the proposed purchases being made.

She said she made a police report after Mr McLean repeatedly failed to repay her the money or purchase the horses and that she believed "enough was enough".

Detective Leading Senior Constable Wayne Ryan, of the Warrnambool police crime investigation unit, told the court he had email correspondence with standard-bred sales company Australian Pacing Gold about money received and owed by Mr McLean.

He said it was confirmed the man attended horse sales in Oaklands Junction in February/March 2020 and purchased 15 horses for more than $600,000.

The detective confirmed the emails referred to money still owed to Australian Pacing Gold as part of that considerable debt.

He said the emails also discussed payments totalling $100,000 which Mr McLean appeared to have transferred to the sales company in February 2021.

Mr McLean pleaded not guilty to four counts of obtaining property by deception on Monday after magistrate Ann McGarvie committed him to stand trial.

The man, who remains on bail, will face Melbourne County Court for a directions hearing on August 28.

The court previously heard Mr McLean's racing licence had been suspended in 2022 and he intended to apply to be re-licensed.

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