Single mother-of-two fed $480,000 into pokie machines in just four years
$93,000 of that money was stolen from her daughter s trust fund from her dad
The teen s dad died in 2009 and left his daughter Kaeli his superannuation
But her mother Andrea Johnston blew it all in four years before she was 18
She failed to repay sum in two years and is now paying $1,000 per month
Johnston said she s been suffering a gambling addiction since she was eight
A Queensland mother-of-two has avoided jail despite gambling away all of her daughter s $93,000 trust fund left to her by her late father.
Andrea Jenelle Johnston, 45, from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, failed to pay the money to her 23-year-old daughter, who inherited the money from her dad when he died in 2009.
Johnston blew the entire sum gambling before her daughter even turned 18.
She was sentenced to three years jail in 2018 after pleading guilty to one count of stealing property, but was given immediate parole on the proviso she repaid her daughter, Sunshine Coast Daily reported.
However on Monday, three years after she was sentenced, the Maroochydore District Court heard she still owed her daughter $71,969 - meaning she could face six months behind bars.
The daughter s father had died in 2009 and the trust fund resulted from his superannuation. The court heard Johnston gambled the funds away over a period of four years, before her daughter turned 18. Legal Aid lawyer Kylie Anderson argued cause could be shown as to why Johnston had not complied with the restitution order and why she shouldn t serve jail time. She said Judge Richard Jones could instead impose a payment plan to which the daughter was agreeable. Because, of course, if she s made to serve the default term there is no payment forthcoming then and the complainant does not receive any of the money, Ms Anderson said.
Mum gambles $93k trust left by daughter s late dad noosanews.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from noosanews.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.