BARRIE

A Scarborough woman charged in a counterfeit money scam who gained the judge’s sympathy by telling him she’s a breastfeeding mom lied, a court heard Wednesday.

Beth-Ann Gosling, 29, was arrested last March in Barrie with her spouse, Patrick Bentley, 29, of Brampton, after they had been on a spending spree.

Police followed the couple in their van with their four children and seized a large stack of real and counterfeit bills. Court heard Bentley would wait in the van with the kids while his wife purchased small items with the fake money, collect a fistful of bills as change, then quickly head to the getaway van. They pulled the same stunt in Wal-Mart, Zhers, Petro Can, Shoppers Drug Mart and Canadian Tire in towns including Barrie, Bolton, Bradford, Newmarket, Markham, Beeton and Brampton.

Gosling was already facing charges after she was caught shoplifting a $1,200 flat screen TV and other items in her cart with her kids in Wal-Mart a week earlier.

She was denied bail but Justice James Crawford released her so she could breastfeed her baby.

“This is a very complex situation,” Crawford said at the time. “This woman has been convicted of a very serious offence, but she is a breastfeeding mom and there is no doubt the child needs her.”

But during her sentencing hearing, the judge learned from medical reports it was all a lie. Gosling then explained to her probation officer that she couldn’t breastfeed because she has breast cancer — but that was a lie too.

“She lied to the court about breastfeeding to avoid going to jail,” Crown attorney Sarah Renaud told court.

Gosling’s lawyer, Chuck Syme, insisted the woman, who is expecting a fifth child, was unable to provide for her kids because she survives on Ontario Works and Bentley doesn’t work, but the Crown scoffed at the excuse.

“She attempted to steal a $1,200 TV — that’s not a crime of desperation,” the Crown said. “She ripped off a number of businesses over a number of months, repeatedly and successfully.”

While Gosling was charged with 26 counts, the Crown accepted her plea to one “global” count of uttering counterfeit money. While the offence carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, the Crown is only asking for 90 days in jail.

Meanwhile, all 26 counts against her spouse were dropped so that he wouldn’t be deported to Jamaica, court heard.

“They dropped the counterfeit charges so he wouldn’t be deported,” Syme said in court.

The Crown admitted the charges were withdrawn.

“Counterfeiting is a straight indictable offence,” explained Renaud. “So there were deportation issues.”

Outside of court, Syme appeared to be upset.

“This case has gone sideways,” he said. “You can’t let the guy walk because he’s Jamaican and send my client, a mother of five, to jail.”

The judge said he needed more time and will sentence Gosling Aug. 27.