Gillian Sarah Clayton pleads guilty to 11 counts of fraud in Noosa Magistrates Court

A Coolum Beach aged care worker has been sentenced for her part in a bizarre love scam involving a grand piano. Read about the caper here.

An aged care worker who was trapped in a romance scam when she defrauded 11 people of more than $7000 in a grand piano scam has faced court.

Gillian Sarah Clayton, 51, of Coolum Beach pleaded guilty in the Noosa Magistrates Court to 11 counts of fraud on August 23, 2022.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist gave Clayton nine months’ probation and ordered she pay back the victims.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Stephens said the defendant had participated in a Facebook scam in which a piano was advertised for free on marketplace and all the interested party had to do was pay for delivery.

The sergeant said Clayton was participating in “money muling” by using her personal bank account to take the victims’ money and then passing the funds on to a third party.

Gillian Sarah Clayton pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud in the Noosa Magistrates Court on August 23, 2022.

“When the victims failed to receive the grand piano as arranged, the offences were reported to police,” Sergeant Stephens said.

The defendant claimed to police the person she was passing funds to was a retired soldier living overseas whom she had an online relationship with for more than two years and had never met.

Sergeant Stephens said police had warned Clayton, who had been caught up in a romance scam, that she was committing fraud offences by following her online partner’s directions.

The offences occurred over a one-month period between February and March, 2022.

Sergeant Stephens said the victims handed over a total of $7220 and Clayton had refunded one of them.

Defence solicitor Anna Smith said the defendant was caught up in a romance scam and had also given her online partner about $40,000.

The solicitor said she was a lonely woman who thought she had found love.

“She’s feels foolish, she’s remorseful,” Ms Smith said.

Ms Smith said Clayton could refund the victims.

The solicitor said the defendant cared for her elderly parents and had been an aged care community worker for about 20 years.

“If your honour imposes convictions against her, she’ll be unable to work in this area,” Ms Smith said.

“Particularly in relation to convictions of fraud going and attending people, the elderly, in their homes.”

Magistrate Stjernqvist said these sorts of frauds were concerning because they were difficult to predict, complex and there was “planning and scheming” involved.

He ordered she pay $6670 restitution to the 10 victims who needed their money back.

A conviction was not recorded.