Due to be sentenced next month is a 42-year-old Perth woman who staged her death in a vehicle accident claiming a $718,000 life insurance payout.
Pretending to be her partner, Karen Salkilld made a claim with a life insurance firm on February 7.
According to the claim, she passed away in December’s automobile crash in Broome.
Salkilld refused to answer any questions when approached with that in a Perth parking park today.
“Who the devil are you folks?” She said. “I’m not addressing you folks.”
The 42-year-old supplied a forged death certificate, a letter from a Coroner’s Court of WA delegate, and a death investigation document.
One week later, the insurance company paid the entire $718,923 claim into a bank account Salkilld created in her partner’s name.
The fitness teacher made a few withdrawals from the account during the next two days.
The bank tagged and froze the account because of their nature.
She visited Palmyra police station with multiple types of ID, confirmed by an officer, trying to unfreeze the account.
These copies were changed then sent to the bank.
Their bank verification process failed.
The mother-of- two seemed to be carrying on with her regular routine, meeting friends and attending F45 courses out of Applecross.
Under interrogation on her case, she asked, “Is this a joke?”
Arrested in March, Salkilld, an East Fremantle Sharks assistant coach and footy player, entered a guilty plea to the two crimes in her first appearance before a court.
For charges of gaining benefit by fraud and purpose to defraudingly use any record which is false, Salkilld faces up to seven years in jail.
Next month she is scheduled to be sentenced in Perth District Court.
