Jockey Emily Rachelle Cass pleads guilty at Gympie to fraud, stealing
A one-time rising star Qld jockey has landed in court over a string of almost 20 offences committed when her life spiralled due to meth.
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A one-time rising star jockey has landed in court over a string of almost 20 offences committed when her life spiralled due to meth.
Emily Rachelle Cass committed the spree between October 2022 and July 2024, with her offences including stealing a bike, a used phone, a phone charger, and earphones.
The latter items were taken from the Caltex service station at Traveston, Gympie Magistrates Court heard Tuesday.
She pleaded guilty to 19 charges, including nine breaches of bail, five counts of stealing, and counts of fraud, trespassing, receiving tainted property, contravening a police order, and failing to appear at court.
Defence lawyer Chrissy Mahoney said Cass, who appeared in court with her three-month old baby in her arms, said many of the offences happened while the 33-year-old was experiencing “difficulties with housing stability”.
Ms Mahoney said Cass grew up on the Sunshine Coast and started working in hospitality before becoming a jockey when she was 23 years old.
Ms Mahoney said Cass continued racing until she was kicked by another horse while riding and broke her leg about three years ago.
Her life spiraled when she entered a relationship with a man also in the industry who introduced her to methamphetamine.
“That made it very difficult for her,” Ms Mahoney told the court.
Cass was also drinking at the time of the offending, but was now rehabilitating her life, Ms Mahoney said.
“She is now clean,” she said.
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“The biggest change in her life... was the birth of her son (in February 2025).”
Cass hoped to eventually return to the racing industry “in some capacity”, Ms Mahoney said.
Magistrate Bevan Hughes said the best life choice she could make was to “stay away from bad men”.
“They are doing you no good.
“No man is better than a bad man, I promise you,” Mr Hughes said.
He said the 33-year-old’s thefts were only hurting herself when she needed to buy things for her own child, as businesses “pass on the costs (of theft losses)”.
He sentenced her to one year’s probation, and recorded convictions.
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Originally published as Jockey Emily Rachelle Cass pleads guilty at Gympie to fraud, stealing
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