Charity director faces contested dishonesty charges in South Australia

Samuel Mark Narroway, director of South Australian charity Second Chances, has appeared in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on contested dishonesty and trespass-related charges. Narroway faces two counts of dishonest dealings with documents and two counts of being unlawfully on premises. The allegations are said to relate to incidents last December at Mobilong, Murray Bridge and Northfield.

His lawyer, Shane Sanchez, told the court that the charges were contested. The case was adjourned until November. Narroway made no comment as he left court.

Second Chances supports prisoners and their children. Vice-chair Leslie Dennis said the latest charges were connected to Narroway’s role at the charity but that management remained supportive. He said he respected Narroway’s work and hoped the allegations would not be proved.

Narroway has previously been convicted of impersonating a police officer and a SafeWork SA officer. In 2019, he and another man used a fake badge and a vehicle with flashing lights to stop motorists, with one driver allegedly forced to pay a bogus fine. In 2016, he was fined for posing as a workplace-safety inspector.

Narroway has said he spent almost six years in prison before becoming involved with Second Chances. He has argued that people can change and deserve another opportunity. The state government has cut funding to the charity’s Family Support Service, with the funding due to end on December 31, 2026.

Narroway said the decision would put a specialist service for children affected by parental imprisonment at risk and that about $300,000 a year would be needed from private or community sources to continue it. The charity has started a petition and fundraiser. Before the cut, it received about $200,000 a year in government funding.