Blake Brinklow: Soccer CEO who defrauded his elderly Alzheimer’s stricken parents receives hefty jail term

The chief executive of a successful community kids sporting program who plundered hundreds of thousands of dollars from his elderly parents amidst their worsening Alzheimer’s condition, has been jailed. Blake Brinklow – founder of the Grasshopper Soccer franchise – used his position as power of attorney to drain the finances of Valerie and Paul Brinklow, who were both diagnosed with the disease within months of each other in 2016. It was just weeks after the second diagnosis that the former State tennis player started ripping them off, having his mother’s superannuation released using a State Administrative Tribunal process. After their house was sold for $1.4 million in 2018 and they went into aged care, he used some of the money to pay down debt the father had racked up with his ailing business. Brinklow also put some of the money towards their care - but he used about $700,000 fraudulently, including for gambling, share trading, shopping and his own business expenses. District Court Judge Genevieve Cleary said that by the time Valerie and Paul Brinklow died in 2019 and 2021 respectively, their oldest son had completely drained their finances. She accepted the 49-year-old had paid back some of the money while they were still alive, after defence counsel Michael Perrella said his client treated his parents’ bank accounts “as a line of credit”. But she could not take into account a settlement he reached with his sister Rochelle Bright and brother Kent Brinklow just three days ago on March 7, staving off a civil trial, as it was confidential. When his siblings questioned the dubious transactions, Brinklow cut them off and fought criminal charges at trial last year. Prosecutor Bernard Standish said he was a “wastrel” who squandered $100,000 on gambling in just three-and-a-half hours. But Brinklow made no submissions about suffering financial difficulties. Judge Cleary said he had shown ruthlessness, callousness and persistence. “You took the opportunity because the opportunity presented itself,” she said. “You had access to the money and you took it. “You have not only betrayed the trust of your elderly, ill parents but that of your siblings.” Their parents were defenceless and it was a serious example of such abuse, Judge Cleary said. She said she was sending a strong message to the community to anyone “tempted to help themselves” to the funds of vulnerable elderly relatives, sentencing Brinkley to five years and four months behind bars. He will be eligible for parole after serving three years and four months. Brinklow, who built his business into an international franchise, showed no visible reaction as the term was handed down. Judge Cleary said he continued to blame others for his predicament, insisting his sister forced him to be power of attorney. “That means you have no insight or remorse,” she said.