Cairns crime: ‘I’m going to show her’: Disabled woman loaned money to her ‘Mumma Bear’s’ boss

A disabled woman was persuaded to loan $20,000 to an ailing business that has gone into liquidation and has only received $5,500 back over two years later, Cairns District Court heard on Monday.

A DISABLED woman was persuaded to loan $20,000 to an ailing business and the business owner told Cairns District Court on Monday that she used $12,000 of the money on personal expenses.

Only $5500 has been paid back more than two years later although the informal contract said it would be repaid in three months, the court heard.

Joanne Portese arrives at the Cairns courthouse with a relative. Picture: Brendan Radke

Kewarra Beach woman Catherine Fendley, 57, whose business Leading Support Solutions has gone into liquidation, gave evidence that she met the disabled woman through her employee Joanne Portese once in the car park at the Red Beret Hotel, and visited her house briefly on two occasions with Ms Portese.

Joanne Portese, 55, has pleaded not guilty to one count of fraud to the value of $30,000 or more and one count of dishonestly causing a detriment in relation to more than $61,000 depleted from the bank account of the disabled woman.

Cairns District Court has heard of many unexplained cash withdrawals from the account of a disabled woman at the Red Beret Hotel in Redlynch. Picture: Supplied

Ms Fendley said she told Ms Portese she had gotten behind in her house payments and “that would be the end of it” and she could not get a loan from a bank.

Defence barrister Kelly Goodwin suggested to Ms Fendley that she asked Ms Portese to seek a $20,000 loan from Red Beret hotel owner Tom Hedley, as Ms Portese was allegedly friends with the hotelier.

“Unfortunately, no but that would have been a good idea,” Ms Fendley responded.

Ms Fendley said Ms Portese said she’d “help her look at options” and came back and said she had secured a loan from the disabled woman “because she had lots of money”.

The disabled woman had an $80,000 inheritance.

Within days of police charging her with fraud for $37,500, Ms Portese, who has insisted “she’s like a mother to that girl”, asked Ms Fendley to draft an invoice and letter to the disabled woman – invoicing her $37,500 for mileage and ‘care’ from August 2018 to January 2020.

The woman had 24/7 care from Arc Disability Services throughout this period, as part of her NDIS package.

Ms Fendley told the court that Ms Portese said “that girl says I stole her money, I’m going to show her she stole my time”.

Originally published as Cairns crime: ‘I’m going to show her’: Disabled woman loaned money to her ‘Mumma Bear’s’ boss