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‘Outright lies’: Australian court slams Indian nurse who was caught using fake qualifications
Harpreet Kaur, 33, was a trained nurse in India who failed her Australian certification three times.
An Australian court has found an Indian woman guilty of using fake qualifications to work as a nurse in the country. Harpreet Kaur, 33, was a trained nurse in India who failed her Australian certification three times.
After three failed attempts, she obtained a document that qualified her to work as a nurse in Adelaide. Kaur was convicted on two counts of falsely representing herself as a health practitioner following a trial at an Adelaide court.
Indian woman fakes qualifications
Kaur initially pleaded guilty in 2024 to two counts of claiming to be a health practitioner, according to a report in The Noticer. Last year, however, she withdrew the pleas.
The 33-year-old instead told the court that she had been duped by an “online guru” and had not realised that registration certificate was fake. She argued that she had unknowingly purchased a fake certificate from an online operator, who charged a $10,000 fee for training and documentation.
Kaur told the court that she believed the certificate was genuine and that she had no intent of deceiving her employer or the authorities.
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What the court said
Magistrate Luke Davis of Christies Beach Magistrates Court dismissed her claims and said she lied to the court to cover up her offence. He said that Kaur’s explanations were “inconceivable” and “absolutely ludicrous”.
The magistrate also dismissed Kaur’s claims that she was scammed and said that she had told “outright lies to cover up her guilt”.
“While it’s unfortunate and notorious that people of all ages fall victim to internet scams, there’s an avalanche of evidence pointing to guilt,” he said.
“I don’t accept Kaur as an honest witness … she was evasive and unconvincing, giving ridiculous answers I found inconceivable [and] absolutely ludicrous.”
He further described the document as “bogus” and clearly “doctored”.
“I find that the document itself was obviously false, bogus, doctored and was easily seen to be so … one could not help but notice,” said Davis.
The Indian woman now faces a maximum of three years in jail and a fine of $60,000. She is scheduled to appear in court next month for her sentencing.
