Impostor nurse, lifelong con artist Jennifer Anne Reed jailed for scam which endangered nursing home residents

A FRAUDSTER and impostor nurse who siphoned wages from multiple nursing homes and put patients at risk due to her lack of expertise has been jailed for her persistent, prolonged deception.

A FRAUDSTER and impostor nurse who siphoned wages from multiple nursing homes and put patients at risk due to her inexperience has been jailed for her persistent, prolonged deception.

On Friday, Jennifer Anne Reed cried in the dock of the District Court as she was sentenced for four years’ jail, with a 14-month non-parole period.

In sentencing, Judge Paul Muscat said Reed’s lifelong history of fraud could not be ignored — nor could the danger in which she placed elderly people by giving them narcotic medicines.

“Your crimes are aptly described as persistent and not impulsive ... every day you put on that nurse’s uniform, you were holding yourself out to be someone you were not,” he said.

“Your fabrication and deception involved a degree of planning, sophistication and confidence on your part.

“Every resident at those nursing homes was entitled to the professional care of a qualified registered nurse, not an impostor like you were.”

Reed, 65, of Gawler West, pleaded guilty to seven counts of deception.

Between October 31, 2009 and September 5, 2014, she fraudulently earned $341,000 in wages from nursing homes in Elizabeth East, Gawler East, Gawler, Moonta, Willaston and Semaphore.

Reed used another person’s legitimate qualifications to pull off her deception and pose as a registered nurse.

Her case was jointly conducted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Jennifer Anne Reed outside court.

Reed has a history of fraud offences dating back almost 50 years and spanning eight different aliases.

After her SA offending, and before her arrest, she ran the same scam in NSW and netted a further $7770.12 before being discovered.

Last month, prosecutors said her most recent scheme put patients’ lives at risk because she had the right, but not the ability, to administer potentially lethal medication.

On Friday, Judge Muscat said that was of great concern to him.

“Fortunately, no one seems to have suffered from your lack of nursing qualifications,” he said.

He dismissed Reed’s claim that she had acted out of genuine care for the elderly, saying that showed her “lack of insight” into the “betrayal of trust” her crimes represented.

“Your offending was motivated by your dire financial circumstances,” he said.

“Mrs Reed, many people struggle financially or find themselves in precarious economic situations.

“They do not, however, resort to committing crimes to get them out of financial trouble, as you have chosen to.”

He noted Reed had repeatedly received suspended sentences for her previous offending.

“Sentencing you back in 1985, Justice Bolland described your then offending as barefaced and deliberate dishonesty,” he said.

“He described you as someone not to be trusted ... you still cannot be trusted.

“I can find no good reason to suspend your sentence.”

Reed continued to cry as she was led to the cells.

In a statement, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia chair Dr Lynette Cusack welcomed Reed’s jail term.

“It is unacceptable in any instance for someone to impersonate or falsely act as a nurse or midwife,” she said.

“The Board takes such matters seriously and the sentence that Ms Reed received demonstrates the repercussions for such an action.”

Follow @SeanFewster