Scoundrel Malvern gold digger Marie Heeraman fleeced Michael Peirce, pleads guilty to theft

A Malvern scoundrel who stole her ex-partner’s inheritance cash after she dumped him has sooked about being called a “gold digger” by the media.

Malvern scoundrel Marie Heeraman aka Kathleen McLachlan fleeced her former lover for $143,000. Generic image.

A Malvern gold digger who splashed out on clothes, hair and beauty salons, dining out and a flash new Peugeot after rorting $143,000 from her former lover has avoided a jail term.

Marie Heeraman, 52, was sentenced in the County Court on Tuesday to two-year community correction order with conviction after pleading guilty to a course of conduct theft charge.

Heeraman fleeced her former partner Michael Peirce for $142,304 after she strung him along between October 2014 and August 2016.

The gold digger nurse got her thieving mitts on Mr Peirce’s dough after he gave the scoundrel access his inheritance money.

Mr Peirce received $234,100 via his deceased mum’s estate but transferred the money to a new account he opened with and controlled by Heeraman in October 2014.

The plan was Heeraman would look after Mr Peirce’s funds for his “benefit” by paying his expenses and providing him with cash as he needed it.

However, Heeraman transferred the cash to other accounts she opened on the same day then fleeced the funds via 808 bogus transactions.

In a shock coincidence, Mr Peirce and Heeraman’s relationship ended the same time the accounts were opened, the court was told.

Heeraman then moved to a Malvern property where she lived with Andrew McLachlan who she married little more than 12 months later, the court heard.

Heeraman splashed Mr Peirce’s cash on various extravagances including restaurants, events, $10,000 on clothing and bridal wear, $5000 on homewares, a staggering $6000 plus on hairdressing, beauty salons and products and more than $46,000 in cash withdrawals.

Heeraman also threw down for a flash $27,000 Peugeot.

In contrast, while Heeraman was living it up on the other side of town, Mr Peirce, from Boronia, was left destitute and distraught.

Heeraman, who referred to Mr Peirce as ‘Pixie’, kept her former lover at bay with a string of deceitful messages.

“Just know that I love you & care about you v much & I will always be there for you, even when nobody else seems to care,” Heeraman said via a message sent to Mr Peirce three months after she married her husband.

“You”ll always be my dearest friend & yes, for life. You can count on me.”

Heeraman, who did not permit Mr Peirce to attend her wedding, made it “clear” she did not want Mr McLachlan to know about her contact with Mr Peirce, the court heard.

“I am truly helping you to spend yr $ wisely & to save & one day you”ll thank me for this,” Heeraman said via message sent after she had burned through $105,000 of her victim’s cash. “So pls understand my logic ok. It’s for yr best interest, as I don”t want you to run out of money ok.”

Heeraman also “advised” her victim to spend his Centrelink money carefully and look for a job.

Mr Peirce messaged Heeraman in September 2016.

“Hi Kathleen, you have left me know option in texting you & please take this seriously … I founded out that you are not entitle to the money that was left to me from the inheritance, you toll me via the landline when I was still leaving in boronia & also you are only entitle to money we have save together,” he said.

Heeraman, who was interviewed by police in August 2017 told investigators she and Mr Peirce had been in an “on and off” relationship.

Heeraman, a qualified nurse who worked in aged care, told police she met Mr Peirce after she worked as a carer for his parents but made “no comment” when quizzed on the rort.

Police later charged Heeraman and seized the Peugeot.

Mr Peirce, in his victim impact statement read to the court, said Heeraman had left him with “constant tension”, mental stress, depression, severe insomnia and he was now “socially withdrawn”.

Judge Sarah Dawes accepted Heeraman offending was a “substantial breach of trust”.

Heeraman’s defence submitted an article which appeared in the Herald Sun was “inaccurate” and she was upset about being referred to as a “gold digger” which amounted to “extra-curricular punishment”.

However, Judge Dawes dismissed the submission saying the article was “legitimately in the public interest”.

“I do not accept it was an inaccurate article,” Judge Dawes.

Heeraman — who also goes by Kathleen McLachlan and Kathleen Heeraman — must also perform 300 hours of unpaid community work.

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