A Tasmanian support worker has been jailed for three years after stealing from a wheelchair-bound client and using his credit card to pay for a Gold Coast holiday and concert tickets.
Sharon Maree Bailey pleaded guilty to 86 fraud-related charges in the Supreme Court this month, including obtaining a job by hiding her long criminal history.
The court heard Bailey had removed pages from her police check when applying for a role at Community Based Support (CBS), concealing a string of prior convictions for fraud and theft dating back to 1997.
Acting Justice Marshall said Bailey had “treated the vulnerable, wheelchair-bound, elderly [man’s] Visa card accounts, in effect, as her own”, using the details to make 76 fraudulent online transactions and payments.
The fraud only came to light when the man’s card was declined due to insufficient funds, uncovering a debt that had maxed out his $18,000 limit. The bank later covered the losses.
The victim was “originally reluctant” to report the matter to police as he “did not believe” that anyone he knew could possibly be responsible for the theft, Justice Marshall said.
Bailey’s spending spree included motor vehicle registration, pet supplies, department store shopping, flights, Gold Coast accommodation and tickets to see Elton John, racking up a total of $10,753.85.
Prosecutors had pushed for Bailey to repay the $124,017 she earned during her time working at CBS, but the court dismissed the request, saying it would amount to “a windfall for CBS” rather than true compensation.
She was instead ordered to pay $10,753.85 compensation to the National Australia Bank.
Justice Marshall noted Bailey had shown “little remorse” and pointed to her history of similar offences, including a 2001 case where she was found to have “systematically pillaged” an elderly woman’s life savings.
Bailey will be eligible for parole after serving 18 months of her sentence, backdated to November 2024 when she was taken into custody.
