Wannabe lawyer used stolen login details to create fake IVO with Magistrate’s stamp
A court registrar says she still wants to complete her law degree despite hacking into a suburban court’s computer system to create a fraudulent intervention order against a family friend’s ex-partner.
Police & Courts
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A court registrar and wannabe lawyer hacked Victoria’s court system to make fake intervention orders instructing a mother to hand her child over to her ex-partner.
Sara Borg, 40, admitted to using her job as a suburban magistrates’ court employee to impersonate a lawyer, create dodgy documents and convince police to serve them on an unsuspecting young mum.
The Herald Sun last year revealed the fraud squad was called in to investigate the hacking scandal which took place in October 2018.
Borg, who was studying law at the time, inserted herself into a family friend’s custody battle and threatened the young mum with jail time if she did not comply with the court orders.
The faux order would allow the woman’s ex-partner to gain unsupervised and overnight access to the infant.
The County Court today heard Borg stole login details from her Werribee magistrates’ court colleagues after insisting the worker take a lunch break before accessing the CourtLink system and drawing up fraudulent IVOs under another registrar’s name and judicial stamp of Magistrate Jennifer Grubissa.
Ms Grubissa later told police she was “greatly affected by this happening in my court and was plagued with thoughts of what could’ve happened, had this order … been served”.
“Never have I felt so professionally violated,” Ms Grubissa said.
Throughout her conniving, Borg – a mother of two young children – had been writing to the woman from her magistrates’ court email account under the guise of a lawyer representing the man demanding he gain access to his child.
Judge Fran Dalziel said the correspondence became increasing “intemperate, inflammatory and insulting”.
“If you continue to be difficult, we will be filing for interim family court orders as a matter of urgency and seeking you pay the costs,” Borg wrote to the woman in one email.
Detectives raised questions about the validity of the IVO after Borg faxed them interstate and requested police serve them on the woman in person.
An investigation commenced and Borg tendered her resignation to the court days later telling a colleague: “I feel sick for letting you down and will pay the ultimate price in that I lose my job”.
Borg then texted the male family friend for whom she was acting saying: “haha, I didn’t lose my job for that c*** to get away with keeping a child from seeing her father”.
Borg pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and several counts of making and using false documents.
The charges carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years each.
Barrister Fiona Todd, for Borg, urged the court not to jail her client, saying the offending was “hastily and ill-considered” and motivated by a desire to feel helpful.
Ms Todd said Borg should be viewed differently to other members of public office who hold higher positions of power and have greater community expectations.
Judge Dalziel disagreed.
“I reject the suggestion that she has less trust and expectation of her than someone who earns more money,” Judge Dalziel said.
The court heard Borg is determined to finish her law degree.
She remains on bail awaiting sentencing.
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