Una Ebsworth
This is a real case study by one of our lawyers. The person who is in charge of this area in the firm is Una Ebsworth. Una is a Director and LIV Accredited Criminal Law Specialist at Doogue + George, recognised by Doyle's Guide as a Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer in Victoria (2026). With over 15 years of experience, she acts in complex fraud, drug prosecutions, homicide, sexual offences, and appellate work to the Court of Appeal and High Court of Australia.
View full profile →This is a case study on theft and dishonesty offences resulting in a Community Corrections Order.
What is alleged to have occured?
Our client was an employee of a real estate agent and stole approximately $24,000 from her employer over a period of 11 months. This money was derived from tenants paying rents and bonds as well as the creation of false invoices which were paid into her account.
The offending related to on-going issues with anxiety and depression arising from a long-term gambling addiction.
What happened at court?
We represented the client at the Kyneton Magistrates’ Court for the following charges:
Our client avoided a jail term despite facing nearly 100 charges relating to the fraud. We were able to put before the court psychological material, character evidence, and written submissions which were geared towards avoiding jail and rather towards a corrections order to deal with the gambling problem.
Negotiations with the Prosecution were successfully entered into which meant that only 18 charges of the 100 proceeded against our client.
What was the result?
The Court accepted all the submissions (even those which were opposed by the prosecution) and our client ultimately received a CCO.
DISCLAIMER: This is a real case study of an actual case from our files. Details pertaining to the client have been changed to protect their privacy. The sentence imposed and the charge have not been altered. These case studies are published to demonstrate real outcomes and give an indication of possible tariffs in Court. We do not guarantee a similar case on these charges will get the same result. Please note that we post results at our discretion, therefore while many case studies are average results, others are notable for their exceptional outcomes. PUBLISHED 29/04/2015
