Kate Parry pleads guilty to 11 offences in Brisbane Magistrates Court

A woman has faced court over an illegal $6000 shopping spree she enjoyed after stealing someone else’s identity and using their money to hire a car and pay for housing.

Kate Scarlet Parry, 32, leaves the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday, March 27.

A Brisbane woman who assumed another person’s identity has been caught red-handed with a stash of mobile phones and bank cards, a car hired under someone else’s name, and $5800 in expenses.

Kate Scarlet Parry, 32, of Fortitude Valley faced Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday, March 27 and pleaded guilty to 11 offences including three counts of fraud and a count each of unlawful possession of a car and unlawful possession of suspected stolen property.

The court heard Parry committed the offences between March and October last year.

It was under her victim’s guise that Parry hired a car for 120 days, obtained accommodation, and spent $5880 – her offending only ceasing when she was remanded in custody.

She was later found to be in possession of tainted property including mobile phones and bank cards belonging to other people.

Police prosecutor Tom Winks said Parry had a limited Queensland criminal history but a “fairly substantial” Victorian history with entries from 2019 to 2021.

He said the 32-year-old spent 188 days on remand in Victoria several years ago and 30 days in presentence custody for the charges presently before the court, after which she was released on “very strict” Supreme Court bail conditions.

Her lawyer told the court Parry’s “central problem” was a drug addiction which she had taken steps to address and noted her recent bout of offending did not involve any violence.

Magistrate Belinda Merrin said the identity theft was an example of “quite significant” dishonesty.

Taking into consideration Parry’s level of co-operation with police and the administration of justice, and her criminal history and ‘meaningful’ engagement with rehabilitation services, Ms Merrin imposed a four-month prison sentence to be suspended for an operational period of 12 months.

Parry was also placed on a 12-month probation order, made to forfeit the property suspected to be stolen, and disqualified from driving for two years for one offence and one month for another. Convictions were recorded.