Magistrate cracks down after second Covid court claim
After already missing a date in court due to Covid, an alleged Woodville Park fraudster has called in sick again.
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An alleged fraudster has claimed she could not attend court because she had Covid, the second time she has made the claim and missed court in the space of two months.
Sade Amelia Bifulco, 34 of Woodville Park, was due to appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday facing 20 counts of identity theft and four breaches of bail.
But when the time came for her to take the dock, she was not present.
Instead of Ms Bifulco appearing, her now-former lawyer David Moan informed the court he was withdrawing his services in the matter.
With Ms Bifulco absent and Mr Moan excused, the defendant’s father told Magistrate Jayanthi Pandya he had spoken to his daughter earlier in the morning and she told him she thought she had Covid and “sounded pretty bad on the phone”.
Ms Pandya then called Ms Bifulco and queried her about the claims.
“As I understand it this is the second time you’ve had Covid, and you say you will provide a medical certificate to the court to confirm that,” she said.
“Have you been confirmed as having Covid by SA Health?”
Bifulco late last year missed a court appearance regarding the matters with Mr Moan, who was then representing her, telling the court she had been allowed to do so after providing a medical certificate.
The charges she was facing stemmed from a targeted police operation at Jeanette Street, Woodville Park where she was one of seven people who were allegedly found in possession of, and printing, fake ID cards.
Ms Bifulco told the court she had been in contact with SA Health but had not returned a test indicating she had Covid.
“(I haven’t been confirmed as having Covid) yet, but they say I’ve got the symptoms and I should stay indoors and don’t spread it,” she said.
Ms Bifulco had provided an insufficient “certificate from a medical organisation” and Ms Pandya ordered her to provide a “satisfactory” certificate otherwise she would issue a police warrant.
Ms Pandya later adjourned the matters until later in the month warning again a warrant would be issued if Ms Bifulco did not attend that date.
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