A Tasmanian man has been jailed for using a fake medical certificate, possibly generated with the help of artificial intelligence, to skip a court appearance.
Christopher John Worker, 38, was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Tasmania last week after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.
Worker had been due to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court in February after being given a sentence indication of partially suspended imprisonment.
Instead, his lawyer handed up a handwritten medical certificate claiming he was undergoing major surgery at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Police investigations revealed the certificate was false.
Hospital records showed Worker had not been a patient there at any time between January 1 and February 20, 2026.
The fake document copied the reference number and doctor’s signature from a legitimate certificate issued to him in November 2025.
The doctor confirmed he did not sign the February version.
Worker’s partner later admitted to police that she produced the false certificate at his request. She is expected to be charged.
Justice Kate Cuthbertson said the offence was serious because it undermined the justice system and because Worker had involved his partner in the offending.
“The sentence I will impose is not only directed at punishment and deterring you from behaving in this way again, but it is also one that sends a message to others who may be minded to avoid their obligations to attend court in this way that their conduct will not be tolerated,” she said.
“I note that technology is making it easier for people to produce false documents like the one the subject of this charge and there is a suggestion that AI was used in this case to falsify the medical certificate.”
Worker is already serving a prison sentence due to end on August 6.
The three-month sentence will be added to the end of that term.
