A FRAUDULENT South East woman will spend a significant stint behind bars after she was sentenced for a dozen deception offences on Wednesday morning.
Heather Alison McKaskill, 50, appeared via video-link in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court to be sentenced for 12 counts of deceiving another to benefit self.
The offending was a repetitive course of conduct, which took place between August and November in 2017.
Eight counts of deception related to fraudulent cheques, which were exchanged for money at a Wattle Range post office and a general store.
Despite knowing the cheques were valueless, McKaskill accepted $2933.55 and $2671.40 from each place respectively.
The other four counts related to McKaskill using her former partner’s business to open accounts at shopping centres in the region.
She used the accounts to purchase products on credit, despite knowing she would never be able to pay off the money.
Magistrate Teresa Anderson said the offending was serious because there was no chance compensation would ever be paid.
“These are small business owners who can ill-afford those losses,” Magistrate Anderson said.
The court heard McKaskill was on parole for similar offending at the time she was arrested for the fresh offences.
“You have committed similar offences since the 1990s,” Magistrate Anderson said.
“Your prior history can be described as consistent, prolific and undeterred.”
McKaskill was sentenced to one year and two weeks for the offending, to be served accumulatively on the unexpired parole of one year, 11 months and eight days.
A non-parole period of 18 months was set on the head sentence of two years, 11 months, two weeks and eight days.
The sentence was backdated to when she was taken into custody on November 28 last year.
“You have had a poor response to release on parole,” Magistrate Anderson said.
“I would not assess your prospect of rehabilitation as very high.”
Compensation was not ordered.
