Patricia Michelle Hearne, who worked at Phoenix Insurance Brokers for more than 17 years, has been convicted for stealing from the Perth-headquartered firm.
As previously reported by Insurance Business, the former operations manager was accused of stealing over $170,000 through her employment – a criminal offence called “stealing as a servant” – and stood to be penalised with up to a decade in prison.
Now it’s been confirmed that, following Hearne’s November 11 sentencing at the District Court of Western Australia (WA), a sentence of two and a half years in jail was handed down. Of this, the non-parole period, or the minimum duration to be served, is 15 months.
According to the District Court, a serious conviction is one for which the penalty is a fine of at least $15,000 or imprisonment for more than one year.
In January, when Insurance Business contacted Phoenix, managing director David White declined to comment on the case, which began in WA’s Magistrates Court.
The Magistrates Court notes: “Minor criminal offences, known as ‘simple offences’, are dealt with in the Magistrates Court. More serious offences, known as ‘indictable offences’, begin in the Magistrates Court.
“While some of these serious offences (known as ‘either way’ offences) may be dealt with in the Magistrates Court, the most serious offences must be sent on to be heard in the District or Supreme courts.”
Hearne’s stealing as a servant case was last heard in the Magistrates Court on March 11, 2021, before it was moved to the District Court, which handles serious criminal offences such as serious assaults, sexual assaults, serious fraud and commercial theft, burglary, and drug offences.
Known in the market as “Trish,” Hearne listed Phoenix on LinkedIn as her employer from April 2002. According to White, Hearne’s employment with the brokerage ended on May 23, 2019.
