Court staffer pleads guilty over Magistrates’ Court hacking scandal exposed
Victoria’s legal system has been rocked by a hacking scandal, with a suburban magistrates’ court registrar charged with fraud over a bizarre plot using the court’s outdated computer system.
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A hacking scandal has rocked a Victorian magistrates’ court with fraud squad police called in to investigate.
Charges were laid after it was revealed suburban registrar Sara Borg, 39, hacked into the court’s central management system using another person’s logon.
She then created a false intervention order and tried to have police serve it.
Borg also used the system to look up the intervention order history of a man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and send it on to an associate.
Sources have told the Herald Sun Borg was acting on behalf of a friend who was going through a relationship break-up.
Borg was charged with nine offences in September, almost a year after her offending took place.
She has pleaded guilty to six fraud-related offences, including misconduct of a public official. The three remaining charges were withdrawn.
Court documents reveal Borg twice used the computer logons of other staff members without their permission with the intention of creating false documents.
After creating a false interim intervention order, Borg produced the order to a senior constable at Werribee claiming it was genuine.
She is no longer employed by the court, but it is unclear if she resigned or was sacked.
Court Services Victoria spokeswoman Jenni Coady refused to answer questions in relation to the matter.
“A matter is before the magistrates’ court relating to a former staff member who has been charged with several offences arising from alleged conduct during her employment with the magistrates’ court,” Ms Coady said.
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“No further comment will be made at this time as proceedings are before the courts.”
Sources say the court’s dated management system, Courtlink, contributed to the fraud not being discovered earlier.
The record and case management system was developed in the 1980s and is considered outdated and inadequate.
Piloting and incremental rollout of a new $89 million system is now expected to commence in mid-2021.
Borg will return to court in May.