Charges:

1 charge of providing false or misleading information pursuant to s117 of The Transport Accident Act 1986.

Plea: Guilty

Result:

The Magistrate noted that this was a summary matter with a low level of punishment available. The magistrate imposed a fine of $1,500 with conviction.

Remarks:

The accused was originally the parent/guardian for surviving dependent child benefits as a consequence of a fatal accident in 2012 which claimed the life of the child’s mother.  During reviews of the file the accused maintained care and guardianship of the child on at least 6 occasions to TAC staff during phone calls. As a result of some further enquiries it was discovered that the dependent child was actually no longer in the accused’s care. Consequently, the accused was charged with providing false and misleading information due to the representations he made to TAC staff in the identified phone calls.  It was noted that the money provided to the accused was always meant for the child and would have been paid regardless and as such the Magistrate did not think a compensation order was appropriate in the circumstances.

Restitution:	$
Total Fines:	$1,500
Disbursements:	$
Statutory Costs:	$
Professional Costs:	$

Stay: