Fraudster jailed for P&C rort

A BOOKKEEPER who fudged invoices to defraud a notfor-profit school association of more than $94,000 has been jailed – but will not give a cent back.

Debra May Robinson, a part-time bookkeeper for the Merrimac State School P&C, forged signatures on invoices and transferred large sums of cash into her bank account.

Robinson, 53, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to one count of fraud over $30,000 and was sentenced to four and a half years’ jail.

She will have to serve 14 months of the sentence.

Between 2011 and 2013, Robinson made more than 36 bank transfers totalling $94,913 from the association’s bank accounts to her accounts.

The Education Department conducted an internal audit in June 2013 and she was subse- quently reported to police. Robinson told police she stole because her family were struggling but they later discovered a large proportion of the funds went towards online and retail shopping.

Robinson told police she had spent all the money so none of it could be returned.

After the sentencing, Robinson’s lawyer Michael McMillan said his client maintained that the transfers had started out small but the conduct had got out of control.

A former P&C member told the Bulletin she was “devastated” by what had happened.

“Fraud is bad enough as it is in my mind, but to rip off a notfor-profit P&C organisation is disgusting,” she said.

P&C Queensland president Margaret Black said the best way for other school associations to prevent fraud was through checks and balances.

Merrimac State School principal Randall Pointing declined to comment.