A man who briefly disappeared during a charity walk from Darwin to Perth has been convicted of multiple fraud offences in Queensland.
A supporter of Zac Chapman, 29, contacted police last week when they became concerned for his welfare.
Police searched for him on a remote section of Gibb River Road in WA’s Kimberley region and found his abandoned buggy and water around midday near the Durack River crossing in 40C heat.
Chapman was then found less than an hour later at Ellenbrae Station, 25 kilometres away, and taken to Kununurra, the Western Australia reported.
It has since emerged that in August 2020 Chapman was jailed for two years after pleading guilty in the Cairns Magistrates Court to 31 fraud-related charges.
He had used online trading site Gumtree to make false adverts for products for sale and then taken deposits and payments for items that were never supplied.
Police estimated Chapman made tens of thousands of dollars from the scam.
At the time he was charged, Acting Detective Inspector Jason Smith alleged that one of Chapman’s “methods of operation” was that he would respond to people who wanted to buy a product.
Zac Chapman, who briefly disappeared during a charity walk from Darwin to Perth, has been convicted of multiple fraud offences in Queensland, it has been revealed.
“He would get in touch and say he had that item to sell. Once they sent the payment, the fictitious item was never shipped,” the inspector told the Cairns Mail.
When he went missing last week, Chapman was attempting to walk alone from Darwin to Perth to raise money for the Black Dog Institute, a mental health charity.
The charity said it is a registered fundraiser that had raised $32,450 as of Sept. 11, but on Monday Chapman posted on Facebook: “I stand by my decision not to walk any more.”
‘It’s not that I’m giving up or anything, some things happened, some things you know and some things you don’t.
“I just want to be alone and focus on myself, something I haven’t done for a LONG time.”
In another post, Chapman spoke about his past fraud convictions, saying: “I’m not ashamed to talk about my past.
‘I’ve made leaps and bounds to be the best version of myself I can be.’
On Wednesday afternoon, he posted that he would be “going live here soon to chat with you all and explain this damn situation.”
Chapman halted his attempt to walk from Melbourne to Perth earlier this year due to “personal health reasons,” a Black Dog Institute spokesperson said. The echo of Kimberley.
In August 2020, Chapman was jailed for two years after pleading guilty in Cairns Magistrates Court to 31 fraud-related charges.
Chapman had a fundraising page that allowed people to develop their own challenges to raise money for the charity.
“All funds raised through this platform are donated directly to the Black Dog Institute,” the spokesperson said.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Chapman has defrauded or is suspected of defrauding any donors in connection with his abandoned fundraiser.
Chapman and the Black Dog Institute have been contacted for further comment.
