A man will be jailed for almost four years after trying to claim almost $400,000 from his late girlfriend’s pension just days after she died in surgery.
Travis Paul Barnard, 32, was sentenced in Perth District Court on Friday after being found guilty by a jury in March of logging into Kim Heptinstall’s super account on his mobile phone and changing the beneficiary nomination to your data.
He sought to access up to $400,000 in retirement and life insurance benefits.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged Barnard in July 2020 after investigating allegations that the retirement account had been accessed in the hours after Heptinstall, 32, died during gastric sleeve surgery in 2019.
Barnard was sentenced to three years and 10 months in jail backdated to March 25, 2024, with a non-parole period of one year and 11 months.
Travis Barnard (pictured) has been sentenced to almost four years in jail for attempting to fraudulently claim almost $400,000 from his dead girlfriend’s pension following her sudden death.
The AFP charged Barnard in July 2020 after investigating allegations that the retirement account had been accessed in the hours after Heptinstall, 32, died during gastric sleeve surgery in 2019 (pictured his arrest is shown).
Barnard attempted to conceal the offenses by deleting Ms Heptinstall’s banking and retirement apps and logging out of her email address, the court heard.
He then handed the phone to his family.
Ms Heptinstall’s family expressed concern about her financial affairs after Barnard attempted to obtain a copy of her death certificate.
Barnard, who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in 2015, initially denied committing the offences.
He later claimed that the crime had been the work of the “other Travis.”
District Court Judge David MacLean refused to accept her “baseless” claim, saying it was like trying to hold a “ghost” responsible.
Kim Heptinstall (pictured) died suddenly from complications during surgery in 2019
Outside court, Ms Heptinstall’s brother Ben (pictured) said his family had been through “hell”.
Judge MacLean said Barnard had shown no remorse for his crimes or taken responsibility for the “merciless” breach of trust.
He said there was a high risk of Barnard offending again and the only appropriate punishment was jail, with immediate effect.
Outside court, Mrs Heptinstall’s brother Ben said his family had been through “hell”.
“It’s a relief that it’s finally out in the open, because we’ve had to live with lies for the last five years,” he said.
“For the judge to finally recognize and accept what really happened in those hours and days after my sister passed away is a huge relief for basically what we’ve been fighting for for the last five years.”