Ex-NRL player’s wife defrauded Centrelink to keep up with peers

The wife of former Sharks prop David Fifita has begged not to be sent to prison, after admitting to defrauding Centrelink of almost $50,000.

Mother-of-three Jade Robinson, 26, was flanked by her husband as she entered Gosford local court. 

The pair returned from England where Fifita now plays football, for the court appearance. 

Robinson admits she claimed $48,507 in single parent support payments between 2011 and 2013.

At the time she was in fact living with her highly-paid husband.

Her defence lawyer, Samar Singh-Panwar, argued she should not be sent to prison, because she has called upon friends and family to help pay the money back.

"The public purse has been repaid in its entirety," he said.

He told the court his client had been publicly humiliated because of her husband's high profile, and that she was motivated to steal to keep up with her peers.

He also told the court she had been attacked online. "

Due to her husband’s very public profile, it is not her profile, it is her husband’s profile, she has received hate mail and abuse on social media mostly through Instagram and online," he said.

He argued serving prison time would be difficult with three young children, especially given her football-playing husband is contracted to return to England in January.

Fifita is a former player for the Cronulla Sharks in the NRL, and currently plays for Wakefield Trinity in the English Super League.

His brother Andrew is a Cronulla Sharks forward and has played for the NSW Blues and the Australian Kangaroos, and is currently representing Tonga in the Rugby League World Cup.

David and Jade Fifita did not comment when approached by 9NEWS outside court.

Robinson will return to court to be sentenced on Friday.