Woman ‘failed’ by NDIS

‘Angry’ judge lashes out in case of mentally impaired robber

A SUPREME Court judge says he felt “betrayed” by the National Disability Insurance Scheme after his efforts to help rehabilitate a woman came to nothing.

Acting Justice Pierre Slicer yesterday said Barbara Ann Kelty, 26, who previously pleaded guilty to robbery, stealing and making off without payment, was mentally impaired and psychologically damaged.

Kelty has already served her sentence for the stealing and making off without payment charges, which relate to the theft of a pair of scissors and not paying a taxi fare in October. Acting Justice Slicer had deferred the robbery sentence, which related to threatening the taxi driver with the scissors and stealing $50 from him, so she could take advantage of supported accommodation available to her through the NDIS.

He said that accommodation option became unavailable so an alternative was found.

“I was very angry about that and I felt that I had been betrayed,” Acting Justice Slicer said yesterday.

The court heard the alternative accommodation was not available soon enough and new charges were laid against Kelty in the meantime, leading the prosecution to apply for the deferred sentence to be revoked.

Defence lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi said Kelty had pleaded not guilty to the new charges, which are before the Hobart Magistrates Court.

Acting Justice Slicer said if his original plan had been followed, the new charges would not have been laid.

“She’s been failed by the National Disability Scheme,” he said. “It’s not what I thought was going to happen.”

Acting Justice Slicer yesterday granted the prosecution’s application and sent Kelty to prison for six months for the robbery, backdated to April 15.

“This indeed has been a sorry case,” he said.