SHOCKING BETRAYAL: Canberra Childcare Director Emma Morton Jailed for THREE YEARS After Stealing $300,000 from Her Own Centre – Leaving Staff and Parents Reeling
- Emma Morton, 51, sentenced to three years in jail for defrauding Weston Creek Children’s Centre of over $300,000
- The former director used three methods to steal from the centre, including transferring money to her own accounts and using the centre’s card for personal purchases
- Justice Belinda Baker slams Morton’s “brazen” offending, saying it was a “serious and protracted” breach of trust that caused harm to staff and parents
In a shocking display of betrayal, former Canberra childcare director Emma Morton has been sentenced to three years in jail for stealing over $300,000 from her own centre. Morton, 51, pleaded guilty to three rolled-up charges of fraud, which included transferring money to accounts she controlled and using the centre’s card to buy clothes and cosmetics.
The ACT Supreme Court heard that Morton used three methods to steal from the centre, including recording inaccurate payment descriptions to make it look legitimate when the money was actually transferred to her own accounts. She also took $130,000 from the centre’s savings account and transferred it to an account controlled by her.
The court was told that Morton’s offending was only discovered when the assistant manager, who had access to the centre’s accounts, noticed anomalies in the transactions. The assistant manager reported her concerns to the police, who eventually arrested Morton in February 2021 after a search of her home.
Justice Belinda Baker slammed Morton’s “brazen” offending, saying it was a “serious and protracted” breach of trust that caused harm to staff and parents. “An organisation of this nature does not hold an excess of funds,” Justice Baker said. “The offending was brazen.”
Morton’s defence team had argued that she was struggling with mental health issues at the time of the offending, but Justice Baker rejected this as a mitigating factor. “The offending was serious, it was protracted … involving multiple transactions,” Justice Baker said.
As the sentence was read out, Morton began to audibly sob, looking over at her husband in apparent disbelief. She will remain in jail until January next year, when her sentence will be suspended and she will be required to do 200 hours of community service.
The court heard that the financial harm caused by Morton’s offending was not permanent, with most of the money now paid back or in the process of being recovered. However, Justice Baker noted that the harm was not just financial, but also caused emotional distress to staff and parents at the centre.
In a statement, the Weston Creek Children’s Centre said it was “deeply saddened” by Morton’s actions and was working to rebuild trust with its staff and parents. “We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for our children, and we will do everything in our power to prevent this type of behaviour from happening again,” the centre said.