Scandalous court cases reveal dirty business of Brisbane cleaners
From dust-ups to sticky-fingers, these are the criminal charges Brisbane cleaners don’t want you to know about.
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Good help can be hard to come by in Brisbane, where cleaners have faced court for stealing, fraud and drugs-related charges.
Horror stories of sticky-fingered house-cleaners raise questions about the unregulated nature of the industry, as social media recommendations rarely reveal the reality of a person’s criminal background.
While these cases are few and far between, they highlight how caution is necessary when selecting someone to service your home.
MIRANDA FAYE HAMILTON
“When she was strapped for cash she decided to sell it on Gumtree.”
Amateur sleuths uncovered who had stolen their $3100 opal ring, months after it went missing from their home in Brisbane’s north, Sandgate Magistrates Court heard in October.
Rachel Tan noticed her distinctive opal ring, set in 24 carat gold, disappeared from her dresser drawer between February 13 and 14, around the same time her fortnightly cleaner from Two Wog Girls Cleaning Company had been at her home.
Mrs Tan notified police and the cleaning company, but little else was done until July 2.
Despite months having passed since the ring disappeared, Mrs Tan continued to search for the item on Gumtree and instantly recognised it once it was finally listed.
Her husband made contact with the seller, Miranda Faye Hamilton, and organised to purchase the ring for $300 from her home in Murrumba Downs.
Upon closer inspection, Mrs Tan confirmed it was the same ring, and reported the update to police to investigate further.
The police prosecutor told the court that Hamilton, 38, was an ex-employee of Two Wog Girls Cleaning Company and had “located the ring on the driveway of a residence she cleaned”.
“She put the ring in the console of her car (and when her former employers) directly asked about it she didn’t say anything,” he said.
“When she was strapped for cash she decided to sell it on Gumtree.”
Hamilton, who now works as a bond cleaner, pleaded guilty to stealing and dishonestly gaining money.
She was convicted and fined $450. She was ordered to pay the victim $300 in restitution.
HOSANNA MARGARET CROKER
“Croker has displayed over many years an extraordinary history of deceit.”
A house cleaner who allegedly exploited several of her north Brisbane customers, both living and dead, was sentenced to prison with immediate parole after she was found guilty of a whopping 94 charges at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court in February.
Hosanna Margaret Croker, 45, appeared dishevelled and distraught as she sobbed and clutched at her heart on the prison video link live stream.
The mother of two pleaded guilty to the 94 charges, which included 61 counts of fraud, 27 counts of attempted fraud and two counts of entering a dwelling to commit an indictable offence.
Due to the large number of charges the full schedule of events were not read in open court, however Magistrate Trevor Morgan noted Hosanna allegedly gained access to her victims through a home cleaning service.
Police alleged Croker gained entry to people’s homes with a fake name, under the pretence of being a house cleaner, and stole their credit cards and photo identification to create credit card accounts, which she then used to fraudulently obtain money from them.
She was sentenced to two years imprisonment with immediate parole on February 18.
Convictions were recorded.
DENISE MARSHALL
“People who allow strangers into their house do so trusting that their property won’t just be stolen and sold for drugs.”
An ice-addicted house cleaner who stole a wedding ring from a client’s house to fund her habit appeared “extremely remorseful and embarrassed” at Cleveland Magistrates Court on March 3.
Wellington Point woman Denise Marshall, 56, pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing and two counts of fraud.
The police prosecutor told the court Marshall had stolen the wedding ring from a Tingalpa property while employed by Hay Presto Cleaning.
The court heard Marshall pilfered the ring on January 30 and sold it to Brisbane Gold Buyers for $715 on the same day.
The court was told Marshall on November 27 stole Apple AirPods at a Wynnum house from a client’s wardrobe and sold them on for $80 at Cash Converters on November 30.
Marshall has lost her job as a cleaner.
Magistrate Deborah Vasta regarded the offending as serious but acknowledged its mitigating circumstances.
“People who allow strangers into their house do so trusting that their property won’t just be stolen and sold for drugs,” Magistrate Vasta said.
Marshall was sentenced to two years’ probation with convictions recorded.
The defendant was also ordered to pay $795.00 in restitution for the fraudulently sold items.
MARIA LUISA STEVENSON
“She never tried to hide the money.”
A mother-of-four from Brisbane’s north was sentenced to prison for falsely claiming more than $36,000 in Centrelink payments over four years, while working as a cleaner at the Ibis Hotel.
Bracken Ridge woman Maria Luisa Stevenson, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining personal financial advantage at the Sandgate Magistrates Court in February.
According to commonwealth prosecutor Brianna Finnegan, Stevenson was in receipt of both the Newstart and the single parent payment when she began to fraudulently declare incorrect income information in March of 2013.
While she worked part-time as a cleaner for the Ibis hotel in Brisbane, Stevenson falsely reported her income as nil 131 times and falsely under reported her income 90 times.
This led to Stevenson receiving more than $85,000 in benefits when she’d only been entitled to around $49,000.
The court heard Stevenson, who has no other criminal history, lives a quiet and relatively isolated existence and “never tried to hide the money” she under reported to the government.
Magistrate Jennifer Batts said imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence given the large amount of money taken.
Stevenson was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and released forthwith.
She was placed on a $2000 good behaviour bond for two years and ordered to pay the remaining amount in full.
KIMBERLEY JADE RAEWYN WATSON
“When we are employed we are expected to treat employers with the utmost respect.”
A fitness clothing employee who stole close to $2000 from a retail store in Westfield Chermside started her own home cleaning company after she was fired, the Sandgate Magistrates Court heard in December.
Kimberley Jade Raewyn Watson, 26, was desperate and drowning in credit card debt when she committed 13 fraudulent transactions at Rockwear Australia.
Over the course of four months Watson processed a number of false refunds, ranging from $70 to $262, and transferred the funds back into her personal bank account, and two of her personal credit cards.
The total amount taken over the six month period amounted to $1927.
According to police prosecutor senior sergeant Troy Newman, the suspicious transactions were flagged by the company’s finance department.
Further investigation revealed Watson processed the refunds while logged on to the computer system.
When confronted by her manager, the court heard Watson immediately owned up to her actions and accepted the subsequent termination of her employment.
Lawyer Shane McDowell from McMillan Criminal Law said Watson, who is a New Zealand citizen, had been working as a cleaner and living with her son and fiance at her fiance’s parents in Warner since the termination.
Magistrate Sheryl Cornack told Watson employees had been sentenced to jail for similar offences, but given her lack of criminal history Watson was given 150 hours of unpaid community service, to be completed within the next 12 months.
CHLOE CARLILE
“She returned to using drugs as a way of coping with (her) issues.”
Eight Mile Plains woman and bond cleaner Chloe Jade Carlile pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court to four offences – two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and one count each of possessing drug utensils and failing to properly dispose of a needle and syringe.
The offences spanned a period from November 26, 2019 to October 8, 2020, when she was arrested.
The arrest occurred after police tracked a stolen car Carlile was a passenger in to Shailer Park.
Carlile fled from the vehicle and was arrested nearby, the court heard.
She has spent 55 days in custody.
Carlile’s other unlawful use charge also related to an incident in which Carlile was a passenger in a stolen car, this time in Slacks Creek.
Defence solicitor Renee Smith told the court her client attended Staines Memorial College at Redbank Plains to Year 10 and worked as a bond cleaner with her mother.
After a clean period last year, Carlile “returned to using drugs as a way of coping with issues”, Ms Smith said.
“She fell in with the wrong people and has told me she wants to stay away from Logan.”
Carlile was sentenced to six months imprisonment, wholly suspended, and 12 months’ probation.
Convictions were recorded for all charges.
LISA MARIE WESLEY
“These things can escalate from nought to 100.”
A Burpengary house cleaner caught in a heated fight at a Morayfield home faced Caboolture Magistrates Court in September.
The court heard Lisa Marie Wesley, 43, stormed into a home and grabbed a woman by the arm leaving bloody cuts and bruises during an altercation over her granddaughter on January 30.
Wesley, a cleaner, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Magistrate Andrew Hackett heard Wesley had no history of violence and had been caught up in an emotional situation.
“This is an incident that speaks to high of emotion,” he said
“You have to be careful … because these things can escalate from nought to 100,” he said.
She was fined $500.
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