12:00a.m. 29th August 2008

| By Rae Wilson

Maroochy Home Maintenance and Care Association treasurer Richard Fraser leaves Maroochydore court. Photo: Rae Wilson/177962

A Mooloolaba woman will spend time in jail for the crime, but it is Sunshine Coast pensioners and people with disabilities who could truly lose their freedom.

Melissa Jane Williamson, 42, was sentenced to five-and-a-half-years years’ jail yesterday for stealing almost $164,000 from a volunteer-run not-for-profit organisation which assists pensioners and disabled people to modify and maintain their homes to meet their needs.

Maroochy Home Maintenance and Care Association Inc helps install rails, ramps and hydraulic lifts on stairs or maintenance such as changing light bulbs or cleaning gutters.

Maroochydore District Court heard yesterday that Ms Williamson’s actions could result in a 10 to 15% reduction in services in the next financial year as the organisation attempts to repay a $167,000 tax bill left in her wake.

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said Ms Williamson was employed to do the association’s bookwork, including wages, GST and quarterly BAS statements.

He said she made 43 fraudulent electronic transactions to her own bank account, mostly disguising the transactions as payments to the Australian Tax Office.

Mr Stark said the money was quickly withdrawn from taverns to fund alcohol and gambling habits.

He said the anomalies were identified after a treasurer’s failed attempts to attain information to present to the committee.

Mr Stark said an audit quickly uncovered the stray payments and Ms Williamson agreed to pay the money back.

He said the association went to police when the deadline passed.

“The amount of the fraud roughly equates to the liability to the ATO of $167,047,” he said.

“The amount of the fraud would equate to a 10 to 15% reduction to services for the complainant’s clients which means pensioners and disabled people will simply have to wait till the next financial year.”

Defence barrister David James said his client held “a desperate belief” she would rectify the debt at a later date.

He said she had health problems but could not provide medical evidence to tender to the court.

Judge John Robertson said the only thing a psychological report told him was that Ms Williamson was “a pathological gambler”.

“What you did in your position as a consultant to this organisation was grievously wrong,” he told her.

“Unfortunately, where I sit, often people who commit these offences are pathological gamblers, people who have a gambling impulse they can’t control.

“Obviously the organisation invested a great deal of trust in you. You had access to their pin numbers and user ids.”

Judge Robertson said Ms Williamson, who had no previous convictions, seemed to have developed a depressive illness since investigations into her fraud began.

“The organisation’s now in limbo,” he said.

“It appears the amount you defrauded was close to the organisation’s liability to the ATO in respect of GST, that liability remains.

“The ATO may still insist on being paid the debt to it. That will mean a corresponding drop (in services) which would have a significant adverse impact on the users of the system.”

Ms Williamson will be eligible for parole in June 2010.

Outside court, treasurer Richard Fraser said the association helped thousands of people every year, including elderly, disabled, pensioners and people with spinal chord injuries.

“The case has concluded so from our point of view the organisation’s out there providing all the services to pensioners and the disabled as we were doing,” he said.

“The ramifications of this will still obviously carry on as further debts are worked out but it’s good to see the end of the whole thing.

Friend Danielle Kleinig said “it’s all false” and that the sentence was “too harsh” when she left court yesterday.

She said Ms Williamson had been on suicide watch.