Centrelink fraudster jailed for $90k theft

A woman who abused Centrelink payments of more than $90,000 has been jailed for two years after a Perth judge accused her of faking a seizure in court.

Claire Louise Kell, 41, pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining $90,326 in parenting payments between June 2003 and October 2010, and providing false information to dishonestly influence a public official.

Kell appeared to have a seizure in the WA District Court on Wednesday and her lawyer said Kell had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy, although she could not confirm it.

But Judge Philip McCann seemed unimpressed, commenting that it was an "interesting seizure".

"It's a remarkable coincidence, isn't it really, that we're now being told about epilepsy and having regard to the fact that she is a proven fraud, has been investigated in the last eight months for various neurological disorders and found to be perfectly fit, and we have a working diagnosis of conversion disorder," he said.

"I would not accept a word she said unless it was corroborated by someone reliable ... I think she's a complete liar.

"I just think that was fake what I just saw and judging by the way that Ms Kell is glaring at me, I think she fully receives what I'm saying."

Judge McCann noted Kell had been under medical observation for seizures, but said based on the evidence and what he had observed, they were pseudo-seizures from her conversion disorder.

He also commented that Kell had made a selfish decision to not attend a psychiatric appointment, instead going to see a dentist to treat a painful broken tooth.

Judge McCann said Kell's fraudulent offending was motivated entirely by greed, but she had a history of psychiatric illness and her personal situation required a humane approach.

"This was a lengthy, wilful and egregious cause of fraudulent conduct," he said.

Kell must serve a minimum of 12 months behind bars before she can be eligible for parole.