Nurse fraud Sonya Maree Whitestyles jailed after facing Southport District court
A woman pretending to be a nurse gave patients medical advice, injections, and took almost $9000 for consultations. Find out her fate and why she did it
Police & Courts
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A Gold Coast woman who gave patients medical advice and injections while pretending to be a registered nurse is behind bars.
Sonya Maree Whitestyles stood quietly with her head slightly bowed as she was sentenced to spend the next three months in jail, having pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.
Southport District Court was told the 49-year-old represented herself as a registered nurse between December, 2018 and November, 2021 while operating an alternative medical clinic at Burleigh Heads with her partner.
She was not a registered health practitioner at the time.
It was heard Whitestyles referred patients for blood tests and reviewed their results, recommended treatment plans, and administered vitamin injections and intravenous infusions or directed other people to do so.
Whitestyles also misrepresented her qualifications to two doctors, having them authorise more than 1200 prescriptions for patients.
The Gaven woman’s patients handed over $8965 for the dodgy medical consultations, though she made little profit after paying for medications and other fees.
The court was told Whitestyles’ clients had since stated they would not have taken medical advice from her if they had known she was not a nurse.
Crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher said some of Whitestyles’ offending occurred while she was on probation and good behaviour orders.
Defence barrister Marcin Lazinski told the court his client intended to run a legitimate business when she first opened the practice and had some background in healthcare, having completed a bachelor of pharmacy.
Mr Lazinski said Whitestyles suffered several personal tragedies throughout her life and struggled with mental illness, meaning her sentence should be part her rehabilitation.
“There is no evidence of any of these particular patients being harmed, (and) it shouldn’t be speculated as to what harm may have been caused,” he said.
Judge Nicholas Andreaditis said Whitestyles’ fraud ploy was serious and that her background meant she “should have known better”.
He said he accepted she was now embarrassed and remorseful – with plans to send letters of apology to those impacted – and working several jobs while in poor physical health to support herself and her partner.
Whitestyles pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.
She was sentenced to 19 months’ jail, to be suspended for three years after she has served three months. She was also placed on probation for three years.
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