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Fake nurse jailed for jabbing without qualifications

A serial liar is behind bars after she repeatedly pretended to be a nurse and injected patients with vaccines despite having no qualifications.

Alison Jane Mibus was sentenced in Adelaide Magistrates Court to four months and 28 days in prison after pleading guilty to falsely claiming to be a registered practitioner for a second time.

Magistrate Brett Dixon said any punishment short of jail time would be insufficient as the offending was "too serious and it would send the wrong message to the community".

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File image: A woman has been jailed after pretending to be a nurse and administering vaccines.

In January 2019, Mibus falsely claimed to be a registered nurse with years of experience in an application for a job at an Adelaide medical clinic, despite the role not requiring her to be one.

She was fined $10,500 in February 2020 for pretending to be a nurse and administering vaccines at a different medical centre, where she had worked previously.

But the sentence did not bring Mibus' ruse to an end.

She continued to be employed at her new workplace, where she posed as a nurse in emails and administered vaccinations to a colleague and his parents.

In sentencing her on Tuesday, Dixon said her repeat offending elevated the seriousness of her crime.

Her deception was only uncovered after she resigned from her position and her employer reported concerns to health regulator AHPRA.

"The nurse-patient relationship requires the utmost trust and anyone who abuses that faith should face the full consequences of their actions," AHPRA chief executive Martin Fletcher said.

"While this is a strong outcome, it is disappointing this individual didn't learn her lesson last time.

"Hopefully this outcome is the final deterrent."

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The case is the first time a person has been sentenced to prison in Australia for falsely claiming to be a qualified nurse.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia chair Veronica Casey hopes the outcome serves as a warning to anyone considering lying about their qualifications.

"Being able to call yourself a nurse in Australia means something, and for someone to knowingly represent themselves as one to secure a job not only discredits the hard work and commitment of the profession, but is a criminal offence," she said.

"Employers are also reminded to ensure their employees are registered when they say they are and are not misleading patients, colleagues or authorities.

"It is putting the public at risk of harm."

Mibus was ordered to pay AHPRA $1628 in legal costs and will be eligible for release from prison after one month.

Man arrested after car crash ends in physical altercation in Melbourne

A man has been arrested after a car crash ended in a physical altercation in Melbourne.

Police said it is alleged two cars collided on Sydney Road in Fawkner before one of the cars attempted to flee the scene and crashed into another vehicle at 1.40pm today.

It is understood the drivers of the first two cars were involved in a physical altercation before one man allegedly damaged a car.

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A man has been arrested after a car crash ended in a physical altercation in Melbourne.

He is assisting police with their enquiries.

Melbourne resident Sarah told radio station 3AW her partner was in traffic when the incident unfolded.

"He was driving along Sydney Road and he was driving next to a work van," she said.

https://omny.fm/shows/3aw-afternoons/terrifying-fawkner-road-rage-incident-captured-on/embed?style=Cover

"He noticed a car coming across the median strip between the two dividing lanes and basically it was heading straight for the van next to him.

"He managed to speed up a little bit to get out of the way and veered off to the left.

"The car that crossed the median strip smashed into the van, which was right next to him.

"He slowed down and he was going to stop but then another car also came following the first car across the median strip.

"It basically bashed into the car that had already hit the work van and then two men hopped out.

"He's a little rattled, I'm a little rattled for him."

'Corruption' of Roberts-Smith war crimes probe avoided

War crime investigators will not see evidence from Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial that could lead to the contamination of their probe, a judge has been told.

On Wednesday, the Federal Court let the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) view a wide range of transcripts and evidence from the lengthy and hotly contested defamation proceedings.

However, the OSI, which is examining potential war crimes in Afghanistan, will not be allowed to see certain material from the case, including from when Roberts-Smith and others were compelled to give evidence.

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Ben Roberts-Smith outside Federal Court in Sydney

Representing the war veteran, barrister Arthur Moses SC said the sensitive material would have been unlawfully obtained by the OSI and could have potentially "contaminated" any criminal probe.

"Had they had access to what they wanted to access, there could have been the corruption of yet another investigation," he told Justice Robert Bromwich.

The Federal Court ruled in June that reports by Nine and The Canberra Times alleging Roberts-Smith's involvement in four murders while deployed in Afghanistan were substantially true.

He has not been criminally charged and is appealing the judgment of Justice Anthony Besanko.

After the decision, the Commonwealth sought all sensitive court documents used in the trial but later reversed course and limited its request after being grilled by Bromwich at a hearing earlier this month.

At that time, the court heard the OSI and Australian Federal Police were jointly investigating 33 alleged offences by defence force members in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

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The OSI was established after an inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force into soldiers' conduct in Afghanistan.

Redactions will now be made of closed-court transcripts, outlines of evidence, material on a secure laptop and certificates issued by the court protecting individuals who gave evidence against self-incrimination.

These redactions will be made by lawyers at the Australian Government Solicitor and then reviewed by a separate team of special counsel before being passed onto the OSI.

The Commonwealth has been ordered to pay Roberts-Smith's legal costs regarding access to the material after the ex-soldier raised concerns about the potentially contaminating documents in June.

Moses argued the federal government had "capitulated" to his client's concerns, ultimately limiting the material it could gain access to.

After Besanko dismissed the defamation case in June, the newspapers sought court orders that Roberts-Smith and his financial backers at Seven and billionaire Kerry Stokes' private company Australian Capital Equity pay their legal costs.

In that dispute, Seven, ACE and Roberts-Smith have appealed a decision ordering them to produce tens of thousands of documents to the publications, which hope to prove that the ex-soldier's supporters were heavily involved in the defamation trial.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, you can contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.