Ita Buttrose's great-nephew Andrew Spira fled in a plane after being busted paying for a luxury Hunter Valley retreat with a stolen credit card

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EXCLUSIVE

The drug-addled son of Ita Buttrose’s niece used stolen credit card details to pay for a luxury break – then fled in a waiting getaway plane when he was rumbled.

Andrew Spira, 25, great-nephew of the ABC chair, was caught when the credit card’s owner spotted the booking transaction at the Mala Retreat in NSW’s Hunter Valley.

But when hotel boss Adrian Roach confronted him and an alleged accomplice, they raced off in a taxi to nearby Cessnock Airport and flew off in a plane.

They were later arrested in the Northern Territory on a series of similar charges when budding entrepreneur Spira tried to flee the country on a fake passport.

Spira’s mother is Ita Buttrose’s niece, socialite and former Real Housewives of Sydney reality TV star Lizzie Buttrose, 54.

Spira, who founded loans company Pineapple Funding, checked into the upmarket Louth Park bed and breakfast after booking online at a cost of $417.05 for a single night.

A court was told Mr Roach had earlier taken a phone call on Thursday, May 18, 2023, from a man wanting to make a reservation ‘for his daughter’.

Andrew Spira (pictured) used stolen credit card details to pay for a luxury break – then fled in a waiting plane when he was was rumbled

Spira is the great nephew of ABC chair and media giant Ita Buttrose

The mystery caller was told to use the company’s booking website and moments later a reservation was made in his alleged accomplice’s name.

At about 8pm Spira arrived at the 5-star accommodation in the heart of Hunter wine country and was caught on CCTV unpacking.

That night, Spira’s alleged accomplice arranged to extend their stay for a further night at a cost of $567.05 which was charged to the same credit card.

‘Around 11am on the Friday, the victim [Mr Roach] noticed that the additional payment was declined,’ police told Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.

Mr Roach enquired about the issue and Spira’s alleged accomplice ‘apologised and informed the victim that she would fix the payment up,’ the court was told.

Later that day though, Mr Roach was called by Anita Fenton, the owner of the credit card, who told him it had been used fraudulently to make the booking.

The resort boss called police immediately, but before they could turn up Spira and his alleged accomplice had fled the scene.

‘Spira [and his alleged accomplice] left the location in a private taxi where they boarded a plane at Cessnock Airport,’ police told the court.

‘[They] were later arrested in the Northern Territory in relation to similar matters.

‘As a result of this arrest and subsequent investigations by NT Police officers, a mobile phone belonging to Spira was seized and downloaded.

‘This phone download contained messages between Spira and another unknown entity where Spira was provided with the bank account details of Anita Fenton which were later used to pay for the accommodation.’

NSW Police were unable to interview Spira about the B&B fraud after he was arrested in the NT and held in custody for travelling there using fraudulent credit card details and attempting to flee the country on a false passport.

NSW Police were unable to interview Andrew Spira (pictured) about the B&B fraud after he was arrested in the NT and held in custody for travelling there using fraudulent credit card details and attempting to flee the country on a false passport

Spira checked into the upmarket Louth Park bed and breakfast after booking online at a cost of $417.05 for a single night

He was held in jail for three months before pleading guilty to a series of charges in Darwin including obtaining financial advantage by deception, dealing in identity information, possessing a false document and using a firearm while unlicensed.

Defence lawyer Jon Tippett told the Darwin court Spira was hooked on the drug diazepam and was ‘a genuinely sick person’ who had made ‘deranged’ choices.

He was given 18-month good behaviour bond and ordered to pay almost $39,000 to private jet company AVCAIR.

But last month he was also convicted in Sydney at Downing Centre Local Court over his $984.10 B&B fraud and was given a 12-month Community Correction Order.

His lawyer Samir Karnib had previously said the Hunter Valley incident had happened while he was suffering ‘drug-induced psychosis’.

Spira is appealing the sentence at the District Court which will be heard next month, while he also faces further assault charges in May relating to a separate incident in Sydney which he denies.

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