Dishonest mum fronts court over money grab

A Mordialloc mum sank to new depths when she used her dead son to try to score a big payday by attempting to cash in on his life insurance.

A mother has admitted an attempt to fraudulently obtain the life insurance payout of her son by falsifying his death certificate.

Gayle Maher, 50, an office manager from Mordialloc, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday to one charge of attempting to obtain property by deception.

Following the death of her son Dillon Maher, she joined him with Spirit Super as a member by virtue of a purported super contribution of $6535.

According to the summary of facts, Mr Maher had a life insurance cover worth $75,000 with MTAA Super Fund which became Spirit Super.

The cover lapsed prior to his death in July 2021.

Gayle Maher admitted to trying to obtain the life insurance payout of her son by falsifying his death certificate.

In February 2022, Maher joined him with Spirit Super and made two super payments purported to be for his employment at Dandenong-based Bayside Diesel Services. The payments covered the period between March and December 2020 and between January and June 2021.

The second payment of $5987 was under a business identified as Bayside Diesel Services based in Dandenong.

Investigations revealed the payments were made from her own Bankwest account.

At the end of May 2022, Maher contacted Spirit Super and falsely advised that her son had his superannuation with the company, that he had passed away in April 2022, and that she was the sole beneficiary.

Metlife Insurance Limited, group life insurer of Spirit Super, provided an automatic death insurance cover to her son of $194,400.

An investigation found out Maher had altered details of her son’s death certificate. She did not receive any funds.

She admitted creating a Spirit Super account in his name for the purposes of transferring money from a GoFundMe page that was created shortly after his death.

Maher told officers at Moorabbin police station she was “out of her mind” when she contacted Spirit Super and altered the date on her son’s death certificate.

Following her guilty plea, prosecutor Stephen Devlin said a properly structured Community Corrections Order with rehabilitative measures was open to the court.

Defence lawyer Courtney Marthick said Maher voluntarily participated in a recorded interview with police in February last year without any legal advice.

Maher made a number of frank admissions and answered questions incredibly candidly, she said.

Judge Frank Gucciardo said in view, it was clear that Maher properly and fully formed the intention of accessing a sum which she believed her son or her son’s family had been denied. Maher will be assessed for a CCO.