Family centre thief guilty

The former co-ordinator of the Waikiki Community and Family Centre has pleaded guilty to stealing and fraud charges.

Vanessa Clarke, 47, of Safety Bay, appeared in Rockingham Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with three counts of stealing as a servant and a charge of destroying documents with intent to defraud.

She is due to be sentenced in the District Court on Friday, April 13, and has been released on bail with a personal undertaking.

Ms Clarke was co-ordinator of the centre for more than seven years before she resigned in November 2016.

A management committee formed after Ms Clarke’s resignation closed the centre in February.

The Telegraph reported in March several user groups had demanded answers following the closure of the centre, which had been operating for more than 20 years.

In July, 2013, the centre entered into a leasing agreement with the Department of Local Government and Communities.

A spokesman for the DLGC said the department was notified by the newly formed committee in December about several issues at the centre.