By. RHEYY WATSON

ACCOUNTANT Pauline Dorothy Weir had no difficulty persuading her high-profile clients they could trust her with their money.

The 58-year-old eastern suburbs grandmother who walks with a limp, even managed to persuade a group of Catholic nuns to part with their money. But now Weir faces a possible jail term after pleading guilty to embezzling $1 million from her clients. On Friday she pleaded guilty to six fraud charges. Another 31 charges will be taken into account at her sentencing in the Sydney Distinct Court.

The charges total more than $1 million that she stole by luring clients into nonexistent, short-term investments. She neglected to tell her clients she was already a bankrupt with $1.7 million in debts accrued in similar ways. A Catholic charity, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, had forced her into the bankruptcy in 2000, claiming she owed them $206,000.

The Catholic sisters, who have dedicated their lives to helping the needy, last week expressed sorrow their action against Weir did not end her swindling ways. “Our leadership team forced the bankruptcy after careful reflection and consultation and decided that the most appropriate course of action with the hope it make it more difficult for this to happen in the future,” the spokeswoman said. We do feel sorry for the people it has happened to before or since.”

Newcastle detectives are investigating allegations by another eight people that she defrauded them of as much as $500,000. According to those who put their trust in her, and later lost their life savings to her, Weir was the epitome of honesty, advising her clients to stick to the straight and narrow. “That’s why I trusted her,” Ken Goff, who invested about $60,000 with Weir, said.

“She came across as innocent and in some ways, naïve.”

Former New Idea editor turned-author Bunty Avieson, who lost about $20,000, said Weir’s body language was very open which promoted an air of honesty. A young eastern suburbs couple, which alleges she stole $50,000 from them, considered her a friend. Their accountant for 10 years, she recommended they invest their savings with her.

“On Christmas Eve she came to my home and as she was getting money off my wife to further invest she said ‘you know that home to buy, you’re so close to it now’,” the man, who did not want to be named, said. “All the time she was taking our money. What sort of a person does that?’ Weir has since gone round to her victims, owning up to the fraud and offering a gambling addiction as an excuse.

Some believe her; others now feel less inclined to trust Weir. Phillip Madden, from Weir’s receiver Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia, said Weir had operated a racket, describing her case as the most complex and fraudulent he had ever come across.
“She’s very clever,” he said.

Comment:

This reporter uses the correct word “swindle”, not the more meaningless words “misappropriation or theft as a servant” Maurice Gordon and Maude Linklater Teague of Clarkville Kaiapoi in New Zealand, used the law, to "swindle or cause to be swindled" NZD 1.4million approximately from a client.

If any person says the law allowed them to do it. This certainly does not change the fact that these persons set about to “swindle” money from an estate, which still constitutes a “swindle.” Phillip Madden has yet to read the Teague’s story.