Ipswich woman Robyn Lorraine Lawrie jailed for $1.4m fraud over 5 yrs

An Ipswich woman has been sentenced for defrauding a popular fishing publication business of $1.4 million over five years to feed her gambling habit. Six people lost their jobs as a result of her gambling up to $16,000 every 10 minutes on the pokies.

Robyn Lorraine Lawrie was sentenced for a $1.4 million fraud.

An Ipswich woman who fraudulently took $1.4 million from a Queensland fishing publication over an eight-year period to feed her gambling addiction has been sentenced.

Brassall’s Robyn Lorraine Lawrie, 50, pleaded guilty in Beenleigh District Court on Thursday, January 19, to six counts of fraud.

The court heard Lawrie wrote out cheques to herself from Queensland Fishing Monthly, where she was formerly a director of the company, for more than five years.

The total amount stolen was $1,395,63.50, between 2008 and 2013.

“Ms Lawrie was a longtime and trusted employee,” Crown prosecutor David Nardone said.

“Over time the trust in her increased, as did the responsibility, including financial obligations that were given to her (including) permission for withdrawals.

“She abused the high level of trust she held and dishonestly obtained almost $1.4 million.

“She would simply write cheques out to herself in cash.

“She simply took advantage of the signing authority she had.”

The court heard Lawrie used the money to play pokies at Brisbane’s Treasury Casino.

“Ms Lawrie used the funds to support a gambling habit,” Mr Nardone said.

Lawrie’s lawyer, Craig Eberhardt, said his client took the money to support both her and her ex-husband's gambling.

“Her gambling addiction was directly linked to appalling domestic violence with her ex-husband,” Mr Eberhardt said.

“She was never a gambler before (meeting) him.

“At the same time she was dealing with the death of her father, getting out of a relationship, Covid and caring for her sick mother.”

Mr Eberhardt said Lawrie used gambling as a coping mechanism.

“She found gambling provided her a brief psychological escape from being gaslit and abused,” he said.

“She was using it as a form of escaping from what she was experiencing at home.”

Judge Craig Chowdhury said Lawrie abused the high position she was granted in the company.

“You were trusted and that is a major factor here,” Mr Chowdhury said.

“A business was all but destroyed because of this conduct.

“Six staff and two magazine companies were made redundant because of your actions.

“They had to cease wages to the company till everything was under control.

“It’s very hard to get away with this kind of offending.

“You were inevitably going to get caught, you didn’t necessarily cover your tracks very well.”

Mr Chowdhury said her gambling addiction was shocking.

“You said you could put $16,000 into a poker machine in 10 minutes,” he said.

“You gambled nearly $15 million at the Treasury Casino and lost over $1.4 million there.”

Lawrie was convicted and given a head sentence of seven years.

She was ordered to serve 11 months in prison and will be eligible for parole on December 19 this year.

Convictions were recorded.

“You will be a model prisoner,” Mr Chowdhury warned her.