Woman put on probation for benefit fraud

Press, 11 May 1984, Page 7

Woman put on probation for benefit fraud

A solo mother who fraudulently obtained more than $22,000 in benefits from the Social Welfare Department was put on probation for two years when she appeared for sentence before Judge Frampton in the District Court yesterday. The Judge told Sheryll Louise Patterson, aged 30 (Mr M. J. Glue), that after reading her probation report, “a somewhat tragic document,” he had some sympathy for her. But, he said, the matter of sentencing was not determined by sympathy. In dealing with an offence of this sort the Judge said he was entitled to see how the High Court had dealt with similar cases. Last year a woman in a far better position than Patterson had defrauded her employer of between $16,000 and $17,000, solely for the purpose of greed, and she had not gone to prison. Because of Patterson’s mental and medical problems a community service sentence was not appropriate, he said. Mr Glue said it seemed that in every way his client’s life had been dogged with misfortune, although now things seemed to be coming right since she had remarried.

While the offending was serious, it was to Patterson’s credit that she had gone to the police and, by her full disclosures, assisted them in their inquiries. A term of imprisonment would be “disastrous” at this time for Patterson. Mr Glue submitted that the Court could consider a deferred sentence coupled with probation for a sub-

stantial term. Patterson, a first offender, had earlier admitted drawing a domestic purposes benefit and a sickness benefit by misleading the Social Welfare Department. The offending took place between August, 1981, and February, this year.

Patterson first received the D.P.B. in February, 1981, and between August, that year, and February this year, she held two jobs about which she failed to tell the department. She also drew a sickness benefit under a false name and was overpaid, in all, more than $22,000 to which she was not entitled. Her explanation to the police was that she could not survive on the domestic purposes benefit. CHARGES DENIED Charges of assaulting a man with intent to injure him, and cruelly ill-treating a dog by hitting it with a baseball bat, were denied by Trevor Douglas Grassam. Grassam, aged 34, a rubber worker (Miss K. G. Feltham), was remanded at large to July 9 for a defended hearing. Grassam is charged with committing the offences on May 6. SEX CHARGE

A man charged with the attempted rape of a girl, aged 12, on November 14, last year, was remanded to June 25 for the taking of depositions. He is Kumi Hemi, aged 38, unemployed (Mrs P. D. Gibson). Bail was set at $2OOO.

An application for interim suppression of the name on the grounds that thf£ charge would be denied, and that

publication could lead to the identity of the complainant, was refused by the Judge. RECEIVING CHARGES Two charges of receiving vehicles, valued at $4400, were denied by Leonard John Pluck, aged 29, a storeman-driver.

Pluck is charged with receiving one vehicle, valued at $2OOO, about February 18, and another, valued at $2400, about February 7. He was remanded on bail to July 19 for a defended hearing. THEFT CHARGE

Philip George Coull, aged 34, unemployed, was remanded on bail to July 5 for a defended hearing on a charge of stealing $lO5 in

cash, the property of lu Puaavase, on April 18. CHARGE DENIED A man and a woman jointly charged with possessing cannabis for sale or supply were remanded to July 10 for a defended hearing.

William Galvin, aged 37, a labourer, and Treena Robyne Hillman, aged 30, a scrub cutter (Mr M. J. Knowles), are charged with committing the offence on April 13. BOOKMAKING DENIED

A man, aged 77, denied a charge of carrying on the business of a bookmaker.

George Thomas Howell, a pensioner (Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon), was remanded to July 19 for a defended hearing.