Real estate agent 'flees country after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars'

Debra Lawry, who traded as Debra Watchman, is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients and staff, emptying the company’s trust accounts and telling other agents she was in hospital while flying to Europe at the end of last month.

Primary school teacher Shay Preston had just sold her family home, and while she got the deposit back from Ray White, it cost the single mum thousands of dollars in extra expenses in the meantime.

“It was very hard, very anxious, very stressful,” Preston told 9News.

“It’s been a very stressful month.”

It is understood staff from Ray White Romsey, north of Melbourne, are also owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid super, leave entitlements and commission, including from Preston’s sale.

“I felt horrible, they have done, they were doing a job for us and regardless of who they were working under, they did a job,” Preston said.

Staff claim they discovered their boss had been trying to book long-term accommodation in Italy after they found her office cleared out.

“I hope she steps one toe out of wherever she is and just they get her, because that’s a lot of people that she’s hurt,” Preston said.

In the lead-up to the real estate agent’s disappearance, Consumer Affairs Victoria publicly announced it was looking to suspend or cancel her estate licences, alleging she had deliberately failed to comply with auditing obligations over the last four years.

Ray White said it is committed to paying all of the commissions owed to staff.