Sheryl Laine Arthur pleads guilty to fraud following accountant error after property settlement
A Sunshine Coast mother swindled tens of thousands of dollars after an accounting error during a property settlement resulted in a large windfall into her bank account.
Police & Courts
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A Beerwah administration worker has cost her victim a waterfront home after she was mistakenly gifted tens of thousands of dollars in a grave accounting error before going to ground.
Maroochydore Magistrates Court was told on Tuesday Sheryl Laine Arthur used money which virtually landed “in her lap” last year on her own personal bills, hotel accommodation and even her own car.
Her flagrant deception was heard following her plea of guilty to fraud by dishonestly gaining a benefit of value over $30,000.
Police prosecutor Tara Miles said the 37-year-old mother of three appointed the victim to sell a house, when in the process of the property settlement, an accountant made an error and transferred an extra duplicant amount of money into Arthur’s bank account on October 20, 2023.
The court heard this amount was for $108,476.02, with Arthur repaying up to $61,000 back.
Senior Constable Miles said the accountant located the fatal mistake however the Beerwah mum went to ground with the remaining $47,476.02 and ignored multiple attempts to be contacted.
Evidence before the court showed Arthur actually tried to hide the funds by dispersing the money into different accounts.
The police prosecutor accepted the 37-year-old did not instigate the initial transfer however actively avoided giving the money back.
In a victim impact statement, the affected party spoke about the significant after effects of Arthur’s swindle due to the loss of funds.
The court heard this involved being unable to pay a tax debt, and even lost prime real estate along Mudjimba’s prized esplanade.
Defence lawyer Matthew Cooper said the mother of three was born in Papua New Guinea but migrated to Australia when she was a child and raised three children with her former partner.
Mr Cooper said the fraud was opportunistic and unsophisticated. He said she was bound to be caught.
The defence lawyer said Arthur was of good character and a contributing member of the community, pointing towards her volunteer work at her children’s school and time teaching yoga to the elderly.
Mr Cooper said the offending came in the context of a domestically violent relationship and cited from medical documents this partially, or even wholly, accounted for the fraud as she wanted to flee the relationship.
“Rubbish, complete rubbish,” Mr Stjernqvist said.
“That last seven and a half minutes was all about drawing me away from the real issues, all about drawing me away from the deception and deceit.
“She wasn’t exhibiting any stressors while she was running from the issues she had to address.”
Mr Stjernqvist instead labelled the swindle as a “greedy grab” that started from a mistake by an accountant.
“She didn’t answer, continually, and then there’s the process of which she spreads the money out to different accounts,” he said.
“She’s fully cognisant … she’s hiding, she’s stealing, she’s misappropriating.”
Mr Cooper conceded the money taken were used for bills, hotel accommodation and even a car, but suggested these purchases were made to escape domestic violence.
The court heard there was $42,000 in money still outstanding.
Mr Stjernqvist told Arthur that due to this financial error which landed “in her lap” she caused the victim enormous monetary and psychological distress.
“He had a lovely house on the esplanade at Mudjimba, he doesn’t anymore,” he told the 37-year-old.
Arthur was sentenced to 30 months’ jail, to be suspended immediately for 30 months.
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