BY KEITH LACEY
A local man who defrauded more than $11,000 from Ontario Works was sentenced to one year of house arrest and ordered to repay the money stolen from Ontario taxpayers over a five-year period.
Paul Gray, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 after admitting to ripping off Ontario Works between June of 1999 and May of 2000.
Justice Guy Mahaffy said he could not agree to a proposal to impose a conditional sentence of two years of house arrest and full restitution against Gray, who has no previous criminal record. There are people in this community and across Canada who have ?defrauded the government of much more? and not been subject to such a harsh penalty, said Mahaffy.
A more appropriate sentence is one year under house arrest and three years of probation and a stand alone restitution order that must be repaid or Gray will face much harsher sanctions, said Mahaffy. Because Gray has just started another job, he will have to repay the outstanding $11,200 by making instalments of $75 per month for the first year and $215 per month for four years after that.
Gray will be under house arrest except for employment purposes and for medical, dental or legal appointments. He can shop for the necessities of life for four hours each Saturday.
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