Elie Bumba travelled around brand-new Zealand wooing and meeting men he met through different dating apps. He then stole just what funds, cards and other items he could get from their store.
It absolutely was a life style of deception and duplicity that generated the Hamilton 22-year-old about $24,000 in unlawful takings and, in the long run, a 22-month stretch in prison.
But his unwitting dates weren’t truly the only sufferers of Elie Dongala Bumba’s penchant for pinching revenue that did not participate in him. Flatmates and also his own grandmother turned his targets. As a whole the guy cheated or took from 13 visitors or enterprises.
Bumba’s story was announced at their sentencing inside the Hamilton section courtroom on Tuesday, where he appeared on a raft of expenses like causing control by deception, and utilizing a data for pecuniary benefit.
The initial of his dates had been one just who he related to through dating application Grindr in Summer 2016. After spending the night time on people’s house, Bumba grabbed two debit notes – one individual, one when it comes down large friends dating site to man’s companies – and went on a $743 using spree together with them.
But that has been simply the begin.
Utilizing the same modus operandi here period, Bumba connected with an Auckland man even though at his house took their mastercard, which he familiar with making 98 purchases totalling $4846.
Exactly the same month the guy discover another sufferer in Hamilton through Grindr, and grabbed that people’s mastercard from his budget, which he utilized for buys well worth $403.
Very early August that seasons netted a fourth Grindr date in Auckland, from whom the guy grabbed another credit card. This time around the spend-up ended up being $1269.
That sufferer turned into aware of the unauthorised purchases but ended up being not aware it was their intercourse lover, plus the set proceeded observe each other.
In March 2017 that guy went along to the southern area isle and even though he was down truth be told there Bumba generated purchases on an alternative credit in Auckland, and started profile with Vodafone and 2 levels Mobile, incurring debts in excess of $3000.
He came across and took another Auckland sufferer’s card from a bedside desk in October 2016. Then after period he utilized the dating app Hornet to get to know another victim, which he saw repeatedly on top of the following period.
Bumba swiped US$1100 (about NZ$1645) in earnings from that man’s bedside drawer and have their mastercard information. Thereon event the only buy got a $20 Vodafone top-up.
At the beginning of 2017 yet another prey ended up being located. His credit card facts were removed by Bumba and 110 buys of foods, cellphone credit and transfer solutions totalling $5662 then followed – all without use of the real cards.
In February 2018 Bumba put Grindr to track down another sufferer. Bumba lined up a room during the Astelia resorts in Wellington and it was actually around they satisfied.
Later, while that people is having a bath, Bumba photographed his motorist’s permit. The guy after attemptedto utilize the details from that permit to try to get memberships with a car or truck rental services and credit cards. These were declined but solutions for Vodafone and 2 Degrees reports proven easier to receive. He racked upwards debts greater than $3000 on it.
Comparable mistakes took place immediately after, with Bumba’s flatmate in Auckland hence flatmate’s nephew just like the victims.
But before Bumba considered swindling people he cheated his very own grandma – who had lifted your since he was eight yrs . old – if you take her eftpos cards and happening a spending spree toward melody of $1784 between August and Oct in 2015.
His grandma was a student in hospital at that time, and simply discovered what happened when she had gotten away.
And earlier in the day, in February 2015, Bumba and an associate at work obtained a deceptive mortgage via GE funds, that has been transferred into his Kiwibank bank-account.
The lender found on discrepancies during the loan application and documents and also the majority of the funds were gone back to GE Money before Bumba along with his buddy had to be able to invest they.
In legal, Bumba’s lawyer Mark Sturm mentioned their client was basically willing to be involved in restorative justice meetings with his sufferers together with fulfilled with one, in which he previously obtained “a generous responses”.
Sturm also alluded to distressing events in Bumba’s history which had helped to shape his current circumstances, nevertheless these were not expanded in legal.
“This defendant has never had it easy in life,” the guy said.
As assess Kim Saunders noted whenever sentencing Bumba, while their background might help to describe their conduct, it wouldn’t excuse it.
No target was actually available in which he could provide a sentence of residence or neighborhood detention, thus prison got the only feasible end result.