Sarah Pearce: Maclean woman sentenced for dishonestly obtaining thousands of dollars in grants

In a little more than three months, a young Clarence mum took full advantage of the government, receiving nearly $14,000 through dodgy Covid-19 and mouse plague recovery claims.

Sarah Pearce leaving Maclean Local Court.

In a little more than three months, a young Clarence mum took full advantage of the government, receiving nearly $14,000 through dodgy Covid-19 and mouse plague recovery claims.

But justice soon caught up with Maclean woman Sarah Pearce, 22, who now resides in the Sydney suburb of Doonside, when she was sentenced at Maclean Local Court on Thursday.

Pearce narrowly avoided a full-time prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to six counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

According to documents tendered to court the offending began on October 8, 2021, when the young mum submitted a job saver claim relating to a South Grafton business.

Soon after submitting this false claim, she received $2000.

Sarah Pearce leaving Maclean Local Court.

The court heard, as with later businesses, the woman never owned or was an employee of the company.

In one particularly brazen act she submitted a micro business grant claim to Service NSW in the peak of the Covid pandemic for a Busby business.

Documents state Pearce received $10,500 from Service NSW for the claim despite not knowing the owner of the business or ever having worked there.

Unlike the other Covid-related schemes, her final act of fraud was in relation to the NSW mouse plague.

“(On January 20, 2022) Pearce submits an application to Service NSW to receive the benefit for the Mouse Plague rebate,” court documents state.

Despite living in Maclean at the time, when completing the form Pearce claimed she was living in Singleton - 550km south - and soon received $500 from the government.

“In total, (Pearce) received $13,960 from Service NSW, while always continuing to receive benefits from Centrelink for her pension, which she declares each time she is not receiving,” the documents state.

Police eventually caught onto the young mum’s acts and arrived at her Maclean home in April, this year.

Sarah Pearce outside court.

In court, defence lawyer Matilda Lynch said her client’s level of involvement with the scheme was not sophisticated and she was struggling with substance abuse issues at the time of the offending.

Ms Lynch also submitted Pearce now intends to move away from Maclean and live a more prosocial life in Sydney.

“She is now just focusing on being a good parent,” Ms Lynch said.

Magistrate Juliana Crofts said the charges were all “serious”.

“These are offences which are easy to commit and difficult to detect,” Ms Crofts said.

However, she also said Pearce had pleaded guilty at an early opportunity and had been assessed as being at a low-risk of reoffending.

Ms Crofts sentenced Pearce to a 14 month jail sentence, to be served in the community by means of an intensive correction order.