Jenna Heaslip sentenced for more fraud charges involving dogs

A pregnant blonde fraudster went to incredible lengths to rip off a Coffs Harbour woman over a poddle puppy.

A blonde fraudster who “tugged on the heartstrings” of victims by falsely promising to sell dogs for profit has revealed in court she is pregnant as she was sentenced on her 11th charge of fraud.

Jenna Heaslip appeared at Liverpool Local Court on May 13 after pleading guilty to an eleventh count of fraud.

The matter dates back to 2019 when she advertised a red toy poodle puppy on Gumtree and a woman from Coffs Harbour bought it for $1500, according to court documents.

On May 25, 2019, Heaslip contacted the victim and was paid a $750 deposit for the dog and the pair continued to talk about the puppy over text for a few days.

Jenna Heaslip was sentenced for her 11th fraud charge. Picture: James Gourley

They organised for the puppy to be flown up to Coffs Harbour on a Qantas flight and Heaslip promised the woman the airline would call her 90 minutes before departure to confirm payment. The victim then paid the remaining $750.

Court documents reveal the puppy was supposed to be on a flight on June 5 at 3.40pm but the victim never got a call.

On June 5 the woman waited all day and did not hear anything from Qantas, became concerned and contacted Heaslip who told her the flight had been cancelled because of bad weather and a new flight would be arranged, according to court documents.

The same thing happened twice more, prompting the victim to report Heaslip to Coffs Harbour Police on July 15, providing a three-page typed statement, bank statements and text messages between the two.

Police conducted checks, verifying Heaslip’s phone number and bank account before talking to her in December.

Jenna Heaslip told the court she is now pregnant. Picture: Facebook

The former Ingleburn woman advised police the matter was being dealt with outside of court on civil grounds but the victim said she had never heard from the 28-year-old.

Legal Aid lawyer Matthew Roberton announced to the court the fraudster was pregnant and asked that she be spared community service because of the pregnancy. She is due in November.

“There is a history of like matters but this one is from the same period of time … she hasn’t reoffended since she was charged,” he told the court.

“Since the event, all she has done is complete her community service hours and abide by the law.”

Mr Roberton said Heaslip thought the matters were behind her when she was convicted in 2019 but then police appeared with the fresh charge and said it was taking a toll on her pregnancy.

“She is an animal lover and always has been, was working in a vet clinic and saw so many animals getting unsuccessfully rehomed, she said it started with a good idea with her heart in a good place but it blew up,” he told the court.

Magistrate Michael Crompton sentenced Heaslip to a community corrections order of 12 months and ordered her to compensate the victim of $1500.

The 28-year-old has been sentenced to a 12 month Community Corrections Order: Picture: James Gourley

“You must not commit any crime in the next year because you will be brought back if you do,” he told Heaslip.

Heaslip was convicted of ten fraud charges in 2019, when she sourced canines from local pounds, Gumtree and word of mouth and personally housed up to five dogs as part of the operation.

She fleeced more than $5000 across a six-month period from December 2017 with victims sprawled across Newcastle, Orange, Canberra and Melbourne.

On one occasion, Heaslip sold an advertised four-year-old miniature poodle cross to a victim. In reality, the dog was 14, had only two teeth and was even personally delivered by Heaslip’s partner posing as an Uber driver, the court heard.

A magistrate described Heaslip at the time as conducting a “very organised, highly planned” operation that “tugged on the heartstrings” of victims.

“Nine people came to the court to complain … you caused these families, besides taking the money from them, a lot of anguish and you did those dogs and puppies no favours either.”

Her lawyer at the time said the operation had begun innocently, as a grassroots project to protect dogs from euthanization after she worked as a volunteer for the Animal Welfare League.

She was placed on a Community Corrections Order for two years and was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

Heaslip was also convicted of an identical fraud offence at Campbelltown Local Court in December 2018.