Blake Brinklow Sentenced to 5 Years After Stealing $700K from Sick Parents

Blake Brinklow, a resident of Perth, Australia, has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after the jury found him guilty of stealing $700,000 from his parents to fuel his gambling addiction.

Brinklow Sentenced to Five Years In Jail

Blake Brinklow was found guilty of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his parents who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The 49-year-old man denied the offenses and stood trial last year. However, the jury found him guilty of three charges of stealing while holding power of attorney and using the money to fund his gambling addiction.

The man was granted control over his parents’ financial matters when he was named enduring power of attorney in 2016, following the couple’s diagnosis. Brinklow, who holds an accounting qualification, transferred multiple payments from his parents’ accounts to those associated with his name. These payments included transfers to various online gambling companies and to accounts associated with his business, Grasshopper Soccer, which organizes soccer clinics for schoolchildren.

The sum stolen included the full amount of his mother’s superannuation and the proceeds from the sale of the family home before their deaths. Brinklow’s misdemeanor came to light after the death of his parents, Valerie and Paul Brinklow, in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Judge Geneveive Cleary, who oversaw the trial, said “No son with such adamant views about looking after his parents would leave them in such a precarious position.”

How Did the Trial Go?

Brinklow went into court last year with the trial taking a few months to be resolved. The man was found guilty of stealing the money while holding power of attorney over his parents’ finances. His sentence was initially supposed to be pronounced in January.

However, his lawyer, Michael Perrella, argued that additional time was required for his client to negotiate the restitution amount he needed to pay, which delayed the sentence until now. Brinklow had to pay $387,809 in restitution to his siblings who filed a civil action against him. However, the court was informed that the matter had been resolved confidentially on Monday, only three days before his sentencing, but the repaid sum is unknown.

Perrella told the court that his client never sought to be the power of attorney and had no intention of abusing that role. He also said Brinklow intended to repay the funds to his siblings, which became difficult when police got involved.

However, State prosecutor Bernard Standish told the court that Brinklow’s intention to give the money to his siblings did not justify the criminal offense. He explained that it didn’t matter if Brinklow stole the money one day and intended to return it later, as this was still stealing. Standish also told the court that Brinklow had a gambling addiction, citing an instance where he spent $100,000 over three and a half hours on various online sports betting sites.

The judge’s final verdict was that Brinklow would spend five years and four months in prison. The man will be eligible for parole after three years and four months.