Swindle in the wind: Hobart fraudster fleeced patient to buy Elton John concert tickets

A Tasmanian grandmother accused of fraudulently obtaining work as a carer before using a vulnerable patient’s credit cards to buy jewellery and Elton John tickets has been remanded in custody. Read what was said in court.

Supreme Court of Tasmania, Salamanca Place, Hobart. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Richard Jupe

A Tasmanian grandmother accused of fraudulently obtaining work as a carer before using a vulnerable patient’s credit cards to pay for Gold Coast holidays, jewellery, handbags, and Elton John concert tickets has been remanded in custody.

Sharon Maree Bailey appeared in the Supreme Court in Hobart on Thursday to plead guilty to multiple counts of fraud, which prosecutors said were committed against an elderly Hobart man in 2017 and 2018.

The court heard that the defendant only ceased her conduct when the victim took his concerns about unusual transactions to his bank, which put an immediate stop on the cards.

Prosecutors said Ms Bailey had attended the Bridgewater Police Station on 5 October 2018, where she made partial admissions about using her patient’s bank cards to purchase flights and accommodation to Queensland, and for tickets to a Hobart performance by British entertainer Elton John.

Ms Bailey told interviewing officers that the man had made an offer of financial assistance during the course of their professional relationship, but admitted there was no explicit agreement to use his cards.

“He offered to help me out with some bills, but I probably went a bit far,” the defendant told police.

The court heard that the victim passed away in 2020.

Prosecutors said Ms Bailey had a lengthy prior history of dishonesty offending including stealing and fraud dating back to 1987, including a similar case in which she misappropriated $30,000 from her mother in law’s bank account.

The Crown alleged Ms Bailey had deliberately omitted her criminal history from an ultimately successful application to work as a carer, knowing that its inclusion would have excluded her from getting the job.

The court heard that Ms Bailey’s case had experienced numerous delays in getting to court, caused by the impact of Covid on police resources, and the defendant’s use of false medical certificates to avoid travelling to Tasmania from her new home in Queensland.

The accused was extradited from Queensland on 14 November last year, and had been in custody ever since.

The Crown described Ms Bailey’s offending as serious because she had used her position as a care worker to conduct repeated acts of dishonesty against a vulnerable person, and had been motivated by greed.

Ms Bailey’s legal counsel said defence was not yet in a position to make full sentencing submissions, but indicated her client would oppose any applications for compensation orders made against her.

Acting Justice Shane Marshall adjourned the case to 26 March for further sentencing submissions, and remanded Ms Bailey in custody.