An Australian woman has pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft after claiming a deceased Sea World pilot, whom she had never met, was driving her car when she was fined.
SBS News reported Stephanie Louise Bennett appeared at Beenleigh Magistrates Court yesterday after the Court dismissed her attempt earlier this month to plead guilty via email.
She arrives at the court, disguised in a scarf, in front of the scammers. Inside, she pleaded guilty.
Her sentencing will take place on May 19.
She used details from Sea World pilot Ashley Jenkinson’s obituary to accuse him of being the driver when she was fined for using a cell phone while driving.
Mr. Jenkinson died on January 4 when two Sea World helicopters collided mid-air. He never met the defendant.
Police said Ms. Bennett received the fine in early January. The offense itself happened in December and the fine it incurs is $1078 and four demerit points.
A penalty notice was sent in turn to Mr. Jenkinson’s widow, who alerted police to the matter when she noticed the strange vehicle.
In her initial email to the Court, Ms Bennett apologized for the “chaos” she had caused and said she was “deeply regretful”.
“At the time, I was dealing with personal issues, had to take time off work due to an injury and had no sick leave or annual leave, because I had just changed jobs,” she said, noting that she She is going through “financial troubles” and outlines how she found Mr. Jenkinson’s details.
“The next day, I remembered what I had done and tried to fix it by trying to nominate myself but the site wouldn’t accept it,” she said.
