Cairns crime: Joanne Portese pleads not guilty to fraud charges

A disabled woman went on a spending spree in Cairns, with her ‘mother figure’ assisting her on the outings where vast amounts of cash were withdrawn, a Cairns court has heard.

THE self-proclaimed “mother figure” of a disabled woman took her on extravagant shopping sprees buying furniture, white goods, clothes, shoes and jewellery, Cairns District Court heard on Tuesday.

Joanne Irene 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.

Answering questions from her own barrister, Kelly Goodwin, Ms Portese testified that she took the disabled woman to Cairns Central where she said the woman withdrew cash amounts ranging from $500 to $4100.

Ms Portese said the woman put the cash in her own purse.

Bank statements shown as evidence reveal $10,700 in cash withdrawals over four months as well as substantial transactions at stores including Pandora, Target, Famous Footwear, Bardot and Myer.

Joanne Irene Portese, who has pleaded not guilty to fraud charges, arrives at Cairns court house with a relative, who has been present throughout the proceedings. The trial is expected to last 10 days. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Goodwin produced receipts of $2598 and $2975 for white goods and furniture, and Ms Portese agreed the cash withdrawals were used by the woman to pay for a new washing machine, lounge suite and dining table and chairs.

Asked why $1000 and $600 were withdrawn on the same day, Ms Portese said “she asked me to do it”.

She said she was not told why the woman needed the money and it was “none of her business”.

Ms Portese said when she first encountered the woman, while working for Arc Disability Services, she was living in squalor.

“At my first shift in the house, there were maggots in the kitchen, clothes all over the floor, the garbage hadn’t been taken out, my heart sank,” she said.

“I tried to do as much for her as I could, we talked, and formed a very good friendship.”

The court has heard that a few months later – coinciding with when the woman came into an $80,000 inheritance – Ms Portese quit her job at Arc, but continued their relationship.

Ms Portese said the woman stayed in bed in darkened rooms and she “wanted to give her quality of life”.

After police informed Ms Portese she was being investigated for an alleged $37,500 fraud, an invoice for $37,500 was issued to the woman, for Ms Portese caring for her for 371 days at three hours a day.

Ms Portese said it was not her idea to invoice the woman and that her employer instructed her to post the invoice.

But the owner of a now liquidated business, Catherine Fendley, gave evidence Ms Portese said “that girl says I stole her money, I’m going to show her she stole my time”.

Ms Portese told the court she asked the woman to loan Ms Fendley $20,000, which she did.

Originally published as Cairns crime: Joanne Portese pleads not guilty to fraud charges