Abraham doctored email

By Rebecca Fraser
FORMER Casey councillor Roland Abraham has been ordered to complete 150 hours community service after last week pleading guilty to making and using false documents.
Mr Abraham appeared in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court last Thursday to face allegations that he doctored an email presented to council last year.
The email, sent from Ballarat University, supported a claim for council to reimburse costs for the $4200 university course Mr Abraham had started.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Peter Leahy, who read the case summary in court, said that after Mr Abraham presented the email to Casey CEO Mike Tyler seeking the funds last year, some questions regarding the email’s authenticity arose.
Police then seized Mr Abraham’s computer, and analysis from the Computer Crime Squad then identified the original email, and also discovered that it had been altered on Mr Abraham’s computer.
On Thursday, Mr Abraham pleaded guilty to making and using false documents, but a third charge of attempting to obtain financial advantage by deception was withdrawn.
Magistrate Steven Raleigh then convicted Mr Abraham of the two charges and ordered him to complete 150 hours community service within a year.
Mr Raleigh had initially said he would also order Mr Abraham to enrol in a course but then decided against this.
“He does not have an alcohol, anger management, drug or gambling problem. Just an honesty problem,” he said.
Mr Abraham’s defence told the court that Mr Abraham was currently working for an MP (Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan) and was involved in local charitable organisations.
Mr Raleigh said he hoped the MP would have enough sense to distance himself from Mr Abraham and said the incident had brought shame upon Mr Abraham.
Mr Raleigh said people had trusted Mr Abraham and voted him into a position of power and he had effectively spat in their faces.
He also said that should Mr Abraham breach the order and commit a further offence he believed nothing would save him from a term of imprisonment.
Mr Abraham has since resigned as Mr Donnellan’s electoral officer and following his court appearance said he had no choice but to plead guilty.
“I can assure you the decision was made because the financial implications of fighting this further would have been absolutely horrendous.
“It would have cost me tens of thousands of dollars and at the end of the day I have to think of my family.”
Mr Abraham said he also wanted to make it very clear that the real truth would be revealed as time went by.
He was also adamant that he would never stand for council again.
Mr Abraham lost his seat on council in last November’s election.