R v Mark Leo O’Brien; R v Therese O’Brien [2021] NSWDC 67

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Mark Leo O'Brien; R v Therese O'Brien [2021] NSWDC 67 Hearing dates: 19 November 2020; 17 December 2020 Date of orders: 16 March 2021 Decision date: 16 March 2021 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Sutherland SC DCJ Decision: Mark Leo O'Brien: aggregate sentence of 10 years imprisonment with a 6 year non-parole period (indicatives sentences detailed at [214]) Therese O'Brien: aggregate sentence of 3 years to be served by way of intensive correction order. (indicative sentences detailed at [217]) Catchwords: CRIME — Fraud — Dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception — White-collar crime — Fraud by solicitor — Misappropriation of funds intended for charity — Restitution capable due to retention and investment of funds — Knowingly deal with proceeds of fraud — Gross abuse of trust — Moral conundrum of wife — Misprision of felony — Moral culpability of wife in acquiescence Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 Cases Cited: Council of the Law Society of NSW v O'Brien [2019] NSWSC 1879 Council of the Law Society of NSW v O'Brien [2019] NSWSC 383 De Angelis v R [2015] NSWCCA 197 McLaren v R [2021] NSWCCA 12 Nahlous v R [2010] NSWCCA 58; 201 A Crim R 150 R v Burke [2002] NSWCCA 353 R v Clarke [2019] NSWDC 2 R v Cole (Unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Court of Criminal Appeal, McClemens J, 10 May 1974) R v David Charles Hawkins (1989) 45 A Crim R 430 R v Dimitri De Angelis [2013] NSWDC 79 R v Duncan [2019] NSWDC 852 R v Ellis (1986) 6 NSWLR 603 R v Eugene William Daley (1983) 8 A Crim R 433 R v Hunter (1984) 36 SASR 101 R v Jafari [2017] NSWCCA 152 R v Van Tung Luu (unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Court of Criminal Appeal, Street CJ, Lusher and Roden JJ, 7 December 1984) Thorn v R [2009] NSWCCA 294 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Regina (Crown) Mark Leo O'Brien (Principal offender) Therese O'Brien (Co-offender) Representation: Counsel: Mr D. Robinson (Crown) Mr C. Watson (For Mark O'Brien) Mr J. Davidson (For Therese O'Brien)