Foxy Posted August 3, 2005 Report Share Posted August 3, 2005 This is terrible news I can only wish Rowena the very best of luck in this court case and hope she is aquitted of the charges. It must be terrible to have to endure such addictions and then have this piled on top of you. Terrible news for a wonderful actress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackieleanne Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Wow shocking news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenage-monkey Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 This is hilarious. I love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msf Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Soap star faces jail By Kate McClymont The Age-July 27, 2005 Pat the Rat might become Pat The Rap with Gold Logie winner Rowena Wallace facing a possible jail term after being charged with multiple counts of social security fraud. Wallace, best known as the nefarious Pat the Rat in the television soap Sons and Daughters, has been charged with defrauding Centrelink and dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe she's still in her S&D characters, she's a legend. I bet it was Ian Rawlings who dobbed her in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Co Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 This is hilarious. I love it! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> How do you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan F Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 TV Star Pleads Guilty to Fraud The Daily Telegraph August 10, 2005 SOAPIE star Rowena Wallace was on the cusp of a career revival - conquering her personal demons and winning fans while taking part in a hit reality TV show. But she is now facing a possible prison term after yesterday pleading guilty to 20 criminal charges of social security fraud. The soapie superbitch, who won a Gold Logie for playing Pat the Rat Hamilton in Sons and Daughters, cheated Centrelink out of more than $30,000 between 1999 and 2003. Documents tendered to Downing Centre Local Court reveal Wallace, 57, received disability support pensions while working on shows including Good Morning Australia, Beauty and the Beast and Water Rats. The Potts Point-based actress failed to declare earnings from a total of 12 sources - including the Channel 7 and The Australian Women's Weekly magazine. The court heard Wallace was suffering from depression and had fled to Melbourne to be comforted by her family. She will return in a few days and will report to the parole office in a fortnight, her lawyer said yesterday. In an interview with authorities, Wallace referred to the illegal payments as her "lifesaver" and said she stayed silent because she was scared of the consequences. "I was so upset and so terrified of what was going to happen that I didn't know what I was doing at the time," Wallace said. "It was my lifesaver. It just became something that was given to me that I could rely on and depend on." Wallace, best-loved for her 1980s portrayal of Pat the Rat Hamilton in Sons and Daughters, returned to the spotlight this year on Channel 9's Celebrity Overhaul, a reality show tracking personalities on a health kick. Viewers were drawn in by Wallace's public battle with depression and her addiction to painkillers used to treat scoliosis, a condition caused by a curvature of the spine. Ratings soared as she battled the bulge and depression. But Wallace has now plunged back into depression, her lawyer said yesterday. Solicitor Lee Ting was left to face the music in court yesterday as his famous client sought solace with her family in Melbourne. Outside court, Mr Ting said the actress was distraught at the adverse publicity. Chief Magistrate Derek Price ordered Wallace to report to the city parole office within 14 days to assess her suitability for penalties. Each of her offences carry a maximum 12-month prison term, or $6600 fine. "These are matters where a full written pre-sentence report would be required by the court," Mr Price said. Mr Ting added psychological evidence would be presented at a sentencing hearing in October. Court documents show Wallace received letters during the period of her offences, stating her fortnightly pension was calculated on declared earnings of just $50 to $70. The letters also advised her of her obligation to tell Centrelink within 14 days of commencing work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir drinks alot Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 TV Star Pleads Guilty to Fraud The Daily Telegraph August 10, 2005 SOAPIE star Rowena Wallace was on the cusp of a career revival - conquering her personal demons and winning fans while taking part in a hit reality TV show. But she is now facing a possible prison term after yesterday pleading guilty to 20 criminal charges of social security fraud. The soapie superbitch, who won a Gold Logie for playing Pat the Rat Hamilton in Sons and Daughters, cheated Centrelink out of more than $30,000 between 1999 and 2003. Documents tendered to Downing Centre Local Court reveal Wallace, 57, received disability support pensions while working on shows including Good Morning Australia, Beauty and the Beast and Water Rats. The Potts Point-based actress failed to declare earnings from a total of 12 sources - including the Channel 7 and The Australian Women's Weekly magazine. The court heard Wallace was suffering from depression and had fled to Melbourne to be comforted by her family. She will return in a few days and will report to the parole office in a fortnight, her lawyer said yesterday. In an interview with authorities, Wallace referred to the illegal payments as her "lifesaver" and said she stayed silent because she was scared of the consequences. "I was so upset and so terrified of what was going to happen that I didn't know what I was doing at the time," Wallace said. "It was my lifesaver. It just became something that was given to me that I could rely on and depend on." Wallace, best-loved for her 1980s portrayal of Pat the Rat Hamilton in Sons and Daughters, returned to the spotlight this year on Channel 9's Celebrity Overhaul, a reality show tracking personalities on a health kick. Viewers were drawn in by Wallace's public battle with depression and her addiction to painkillers used to treat scoliosis, a condition caused by a curvature of the spine. Ratings soared as she battled the bulge and depression. But Wallace has now plunged back into depression, her lawyer said yesterday. Solicitor Lee Ting was left to face the music in court yesterday as his famous client sought solace with her family in Melbourne. Outside court, Mr Ting said the actress was distraught at the adverse publicity. Chief Magistrate Derek Price ordered Wallace to report to the city parole office within 14 days to assess her suitability for penalties. Each of her offences carry a maximum 12-month prison term, or $6600 fine. "These are matters where a full written pre-sentence report would be required by the court," Mr Price said. Mr Ting added psychological evidence would be presented at a sentencing hearing in October. Court documents show Wallace received letters during the period of her offences, stating her fortnightly pension was calculated on declared earnings of just $50 to $70. The letters also advised her of her obligation to tell Centrelink within 14 days of commencing work. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msf Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Someone saw her buy a plane ticket to South America today ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trudi30 Posted August 12, 2005 Report Share Posted August 12, 2005 I noticed the article said 'Potts Point Based Actress' ... I could have sworn that she lived in the Leichardt / Annandale area It stuck in my mind once when someone on Beauty & the Beast wrote in about housing commission locations ... I thought she said then what area she lived in A bit off topic : but It always surprized me how she managed to 'jump' the housing line ... some people have been on that list for 10 years ... and Rowena hit an 'all time low' ... and her doctor helped her get housing (thats how I recall the tale at the time) So am not surprized about this money mess ... Always puzzled why Home & Away even hired her ... I didn't like the charactor of June all that much ... And can remember the time the show sacked her before she even filmed ... she had been hired to play the role that Debbie (from Young Talent Time) played (cant think of her last name) ... Rowena did an Interview at the time saying how Soaps were all rubbish ... so H&A sacked her But then she declares (pre 2000) she is broke and neally ALL of the Australian Industry lines her up for work ... H&A , All Saints , Beauty & the Beast ... even featured on This is Your Life Centrelink ... should have been quite aware of her 'increase' in income as she was quite visible in the era ... why weren't they keeping a check on her payments ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Co Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 Friends tell of Pat the Rat's fall from grace By Rachel Browne August 14, 2005 The Sun-Herald AUSTRALIA'S television community is rallying around to support fallen star Rowena Wallace, who is facing a jail sentence of up to 20 years after pleading guilty to numerous counts of social security fraud. A household name due to her portrayal of Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton on Sons and Daughters, Wallace received more than $30,000 in disability support pensions from Centrelink despite earning an income from appearances on Channel Ten's Good Morning Australia, Foxtel's Beauty And The Beast and Channel Nine's Water Rats. Although she has repaid the $30,000, Wallace faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail and/or $132,000 in fines, with each of the 20 offences to which she has pleaded guilty carrying a 12-month prison term and/or a $6600 penalty. Friends say the 56-year-old actor, who was the first female winner of a Gold Logie for the most popular personality on Australian TV, is deeply embarrassed to have found herself in this predicament. "She would be mortified about all of this," said close friend and actor Paula Duncan. "If nothing else she is a woman of integrity and she is honest to the core. She knows what she has done is wrong and she has admitted it. "I don't understand why she did it but she has been at a very low point in a life that has been full of low points." It is difficult to fathom how a woman who was once one of television's highest-paid performers could have found herself in such reduced circumstances. But friends paint a picture of a deeply troubled person suffering clinical depression and an addiction to pain-killers to treat chronic backache from scoliosis. "She has been in a suicidal state a number of times," said Duncan, who has worked with Wallace to raise money for several charitable causes. "She's suffered addiction to drugs, horrendous physical pain, deep emotional pain. Life has not been kind to Rowie and she has not been kind to herself on occasions." Wallace's depression led to spending sprees that left her in $20,000 debt on her credit cards last year. "If you are used to having a lot of money, which she had during her heyday, you are not inclined to look after it that well," said another friend, actor Diane Cilento. On top of these obstacles, Wallace was not financially savvy, her former agent Mark Byrne said. She let her attention to money matters slip. "She is a woman who became used to letting other people manage her professional and financial affairs for most of her career and suddenly she doesn't have that support any more and she has let it all get on top of her," he said. Compounding her predicament is the reality that employment opportunities for actresses narrow considerably once they mature beyond of the first flush of youth. "There is absolutely no question that the industry is very hard on actors and very hard on women of a certain age," Duncan said. "It is unpredictable at the best of times but over the past few years the situation has deteriorated to such a state it's tragic." Before starring in the reality TV hit Celebrity Overhaul this year, Wallace scratched a living through short-lived guest roles on television series and appearing in an ad campaign for menopause treatment Meno-eze. "Rowena is a gifted actor but she works in an industry where, as I understand it, only 6 per cent of the profession is employed at any time," Celebrity Overhaul co-executive producer Julian Cress said. "It's a tough business and her situation is not unique. There are probably any number of great actors out there who are struggling to make ends meet and depend on social security from time to time." Friends believe Centrelink was after a "celebrity scalp" to discourage other entertainers from claiming benefits they are not entitled to. In an interview with Woman's Day last year, Wallace accused the agency of publicly shaming her as a high-profile example to others. "Apparently they want to make an example of me because I'm well-known," she told the magazine. Meanwhile, Wallace's friends have rushed to lend their support with many well-known colleagues preparing character references for her sentencing on October 4, her solicitor Gregory Goold said. Cress said: "Looking at former television stars, I think it's outrageous that someone as brave as Rowena, with all the difficulties she has faced, is being treated like this, being threatened with jail time when someone like Steve Vizard is not. She deserves better." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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