A Geelong hospital nurse has been spared a conviction after pleading guilty to falsely claiming thousands of dollars in parenting benefits. Single mum Stacey McCain pleaded guilty to one charge of obtaining financial advantage by deception at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Monday. The court heard the 31-year-old mother falsely received more than $40,000 in single parenting payments over several months between 2016 and 2017. McCain’s lawyer told the court her client did not fully understand the need to report her income and had telephoned the relevant departments 42 times over the period of offending. The court was told McCain believed corrections to any overpayments would have been made when she lodged her tax return. Through her lawyer McCain said she said had an accomplished nursing career at Geelong hospital and was currently studying a masters degree in a specialist field. The lawyer said McCain had shown “real and genuine remorse” by selling her only asset — a block of land in Drysdale — to fully repay the stolen funds. “She is extremely concerned that a conviction could impact her nursing career,” the lawyer said. Magistrate John Lesser said the amount stolen was “very high” but acknowledged McCain’s lack of prior history and struggles with mental illness. Mr Lesser fined McCain $2000, without conviction, and placed her on a 12 month good behaviour bond.
