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Maree Mavis Crabtree, 59, who was acquitted in May of murdering her son Jonathan and attempting to murder him by lacing his smoothie with prescription drugs, has been sentenced for fraud involving financial deception. She admitted to receiving carer payments for another daughter, Tara, when they were not living together, and defrauded a disability organization of at least $30,000 over four years by falsely claiming she was temporarily in Queensland. Crabtree faced Brisbane District Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to these charges; she received one month in jail and was ordered to repay more than $12,200 from her disability support pension.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Maree Mavis Crabtree, a Gold Coast woman who was previously cleared of murdering her adult children Jonathan in 2017 and Erin in 2012, has been convicted on fraud charges. The court found Crabtree guilty of obtaining financial advantage by deception, including continuing to accept carer payments for another daughter Tara when they did not live together, and a separate count of fraud involving at least $30,000 from a disability organization. Her lawyer Amelia Anderson said Crabtree had spent six years in pre-sentence custody, which was "quite an onerous" period due to the murder charges and grief over her children's deaths. The judge noted that Crabtree was involved in "sustained dishonesty," and with time served, she will not spend any further time in custody.
Written for “Mother Cleared Of Murder Admits Fraud” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
A mother cleared of murdering her son with a drug-laced smoothie has been sentenced for fraud, bringing a nine-year legal saga to an end.
asserted
mother → clear → end
Maree Mavis Crabtree, 59, was found not guilty in May of the murder and attempted murder of her son, Jonathan, 26, at the family’s Gold Coast home in 2017.
uncertain
Crabtree → find → 2017
She had also been accused of murdering daughter Erin, 18, in 2012 but the charge was dropped during a review of the case in June.
asserted
charge → accuse → June
Crabtree faced Brisbane District Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception for continuing to accept carer payments in late 2017 for another daughter, Tara, when they did not live together.
asserted
they → face → daughter
She also pleaded guilty to one count of fraud of at least $30,000 by accepting assistance payments from a disability organisation without declaring she had moved interstate.
asserted
she → plead → organisation
Crabtree said “no” when asked if she had anything further to say after her guilty pleas.
asserted
she → say → pleas
She stood trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court in April accused of killing Jonathan by lacing his fruit smoothie with prescription painkillers on July 19, 2017, before making a $125,000 insurance claim.
uncertain
She → stand → claim
In pre-recorded evidence, Tara said she watched the hallway and kitchen while her mother crushed prescription painkillers and anti‑anxiety tablets while Jonathan lay passed out in bed.
asserted
Jonathan → say → bed
Crabtree’s defence attacked Tara’s credibility due to her diminished intellectual capacity and potential to gain from her mother’s jailing, while suggesting Jonathan could have committed suicide or accidentally overdosed.
uncertain
Jonathan → attack → suicide
The jury in May returned verdicts of not guilty to murder, attempt to murder and fraud after deliberating for almost 2½ days.
uncertain
jury → return → days
Crabtree spent six years on remand before her first trial ended in a mistrial in 2024 and she was granted bail.
asserted
she → spend → bail
She had claimed carer payments for Tara from after she was taken into care in August 2017 until shortly before Crabtree’s arrest in January 2018.
asserted
she → claim → January
Those offences were a more serious example of social security fraud, Commonwealth prosecutor Sunny van den Berg told Judge David Kent KC on Tuesday.
asserted
Berg → tell → Tuesday
Crabtree also defrauded Lifestyle Solutions disability care organisation of almost $140,000 over four years.
asserted
Crabtree → defraud → years
She repeatedly lied to the organisation and said she was temporarily in Queensland, crown prosecutor Zachary Kaplan said.
But Crabtree’s barrister argued the mother’s time on remand had been quite onerous as she spent the entire period in protective custody and was incarcerated during COVID lockdowns.
asserted
she → lie → lockdowns
“She has had to deal with the [deaths] of her two other children and had to grieve their loss while in custody,” Susan Anderson said.
asserted
Anderson → have → custody
Crabtree was sentenced to one month in jail for the carer payment offences and ordered to repay more than $12,200 via her disability support pension.
asserted
Crabtree → sentence → pension
She was convicted and not further punished for the state fraud offence.
asserted
She → convict → offence
Due to time served, Crabtree was released immediately.
asserted
Crabtree → serve → time
She declined to comment as she left court.
asserted
she → decline → court
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