WA man sentenced after trying to steal superannuation from dead girlfriend

A WA man has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after fraudulently trying to claim his dead girlfriend’s superannuation and life insurance benefits.

The AFP charged the man in July 2020, after claims that he had accessed the super account in the hours following her death from medical complications in 2019.

The woman’s relatives reported concerns about her financial affairs after the man tried to obtain a copy of the death certificate.

The man, 32, was sentenced in Perth District Court on Friday after being found guilty of logging into the woman’s superannuation account on her phone and changing the beneficiary nomination to his own details.

He tried to access almost $400,000 in super and life insurance benefits.

He was sentenced to three years and 10 months’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of one year and 11 months.

AFP Detective Inspector Andrea Coleman said investigators worked hard to protect the woman’s savings.

“In this case, we have helped to protect this young woman’s nest-egg and ensure the money is provided to the beneficiary who she chose,” Coleman said.

Nine News Perth