AN injured worker in WA who fraudulently obtained weekly compensation payments, but continued working, has been jailed for three months.
AN injured worker in WA who fraudulently obtained weekly compensation payments, but continued working, has been jailed for three months.
Robert Howard was working at Ballarat Goldfields in 2009 when he suffered a shoulder injury. He started submitting certificates of capacity claiming to be unable to work, and obtaining more than $50,000 in weekly compensation payments.
WorkSafe WA investigated Howard, and found he was working in Western Australia for various mining companies between June 2010 and July 2011. He continued sourcing certificates of capacity from medical practitioners in Victoria, and opened two bank accounts to separate his mining wages from his compensation payments.
The court convicted and sentenced Howard to nine months in jail, with six months to be suspended for two years. He was also ordered to repay $54,000.